Going Bananas, Banana Plant

There is no better way to bring the jungle into your home than with a banana plant. On my island this plant is very much loved.

The Latin name is Musa coccinea and is a plant from the Musaceae family. It is a relative of the plants that produce the well know and beloved edible bananas. It is an upright, up to 4 m high, perennial herbaceous plant with powerful roots. The leaf sheaths and the petioles form a sham stem. The leaves are long-stemmed, broad-elliptical and smooth.

The flowers grow in upright, elongated inflorescences that originate at the end of a sham stem. The bracts are bright red colored bracts. The individual flowers are unsightly and grow in the armpits of the bracts. The fruits are pink-red, banana-like fruits that are not edible.

The plant originates from tropical Asia where it mainly occurs in lowland rain forests. However, the species also occurs in secondary forests, flood forests and open spaces. In Central America, the species was introduced and also grows in the wild.

The plant is cultivated as an ornamental plant because of its striking inflorescence's and of course this plant is also in my garden.
I use the seeds to get more and the happier the plant the higher it gets.
They love lots of sunshine but I keep in mostly in shade.