Musella lasiocarpa

(Yunnan Dwarf Banana, Yellow Banana)

It is a pseudobanana, no classic genuine banana, anyway in the appearance of a banana foreseen of the flowers and fruits very similar.It's originated from Yunnan/China where it grows up to altitudes of 9000 feet. It grows 6 feet tall, under favorable conditions also higher and therefore is suitable for smaller gardens. It forms one conical pseudotrunk which is fundamentally thicker than at Musa basjoo, the leaves are bluish and robust. The flower is just as unusual as the growth form. It is bizarre, is more like a gigantic yellow globe artichoke so that you get the impression as if it originates from a strange planet. Unfortunately, the flowers destroy by her enormous weight the growth form of the plants, but the beauty of the flowers compensates for this. The inflorescences are durable until 9 month. The fruits don't have any similarity with bananas, they are more like small seed capsules.

This species is grown primarily as food for pigs in Yunnan. Moreover the rhizomes are cooked and prepared as delicacy by the population.

Musella lasiocarpa is known in Europe and North America only since the nineties of the last century, first results show that this species is similarly hardy like Musa basjoo and also can be grown correspondingly, to USDA zone 7. The rhizome survives to 18°Fground temperature, the leaves freeze after 28°F. The plants can be overwintered with the same winter protection method like Musa basjoo outdoors.