Musa velutina
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- MEW-suh vel-oo-TEE-nuh
- Description
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Pink Banana is a tropical perennial in the banana family that is generally grown as an ornamental. It is hardy to zone 7b and will die to the ground with the cold but reappear in spring. In late summer the creamy flowers with pink bracts are quickly followed by pink fruit that is sweet and edible but full of hard black seeds.
It prefers humusy, moist, well-drained soils in full sun. You can use it as a specimen or container plant. In colder regions, it will need to be brought indoors or to a greenhouse.
VIDEO created by And,y Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Musa
- Species:
- velutina
- Family:
- Musaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Assam and the eastern Himalayas
- Edibility:
- Fruits have soft, sweet flesh that can be eaten but the numerous seeds are very hard.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a, 10b, 10a, 11b, 11a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Pink
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits are 3 inches long, pink, and fuzzy. They peel back when ripe and are sweet and edible but have many seeds
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Pink
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- Flower Description:
- Cream to yellow flowers with pink bracts in late summer
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Paddle-shaped dark green 3-foot leaves
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- The leaf sheaths overlap to form a truck-like pseudo-stem that lives through fruit production. New shoots appear to form new pseudo-stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Patio
- Design Feature:
- Specimen
