Musa sikkimensis (syn. hookerii, saptientum ssp. seminifera var. hookerii)

(Darjeeling-Banana, Sikkim Banana)

It is a hardy banana from Northeastern India, which was introduced only at beginning of the nineties into the outdoor culturvation.M. sikkimensis grows at the nature location in the Himalaya up to altitudes of 6667feet and in the mountains in the north of Thailand wherever gives in the winter snow and frost. It gets very large under particularly favorable conditions, the pseudotrunk can get up to 15 feet high and measure 1 1/2 feet in the diameter. The leaves can be long and wide like the similarly of Musa basjoo on what a total size of approx. 2O to 24 feet then may be. It's much too large, anyway on the first look but it becomes not so large in our area, since at most meter between 10 to 16 feet because it freezes back ever again and regrows from the corm. The young leaves are reddish colored, at the same the pseudotrunk. Also the average rib is reddish, there are selected seedling clones in the U. K. with reddish spoted leaves which could be a hardy alternative for the not hardy similar Musa zebrina.

The fruits are edible and sweet, but full of seeds therefore you must be careful at the meal since the seeds are hard-shelled. No seedless cultivars of Musa sikkimensis are just known yest. Such cultivars could be the first fruit bananas with the hardiness of Musa basjoo. You also can grow this species easily from seed. Seed is Kultivare would be the first fruit bananas well with the winter hardness of Musa basjoo. Seeds is deliverable at the market easily unlike Musa basjoo.

The corms are amazingly hardy to 10°F, that experiences in Belgium in a unheated greenhouse have shown where they have survived by through frozen condition. Despite of that is at this species a good mulch cover like Musa basjoo ever recommended since there are no experiences with extreme winters yet. It's hardy to USDA zone 7. There are good experiences with the hardiness in the USA, U. K., Germany, Switzerland and Austria, but primarily with high mountain origins. Tropical origins from deeper altitudes have proven in many cases as not hardy enough. Therefore it's very important to look at the provenance if you want to cultivate Musa sikkimensis year-roundly outdoors.

According of American experiences Musa sikkimensis needs some more warmth for the new growth than Musa basjoo although similarly hardy like Musa basjoo, it resprouts regulary some later than Musa basjoo in spring.

One Indian exotic nursery  web site also shows on one page fruits and flowers of Musa sikkimensis and more description of the plant, please click the link on.

Musa sikkimensis in my garden in September 2001