Musella lasiocarpa
| Chinese dwarf banana | |
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| Species: | E. lasiocarpum
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| Binomial name | |
| Ensete lasiocarpum | |
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The Chinese dwarf banana (Ensete lasiocarpum), also known as the golden lotus banana, is a plant of the Ensete genus. It is thus a close relative of bananas, and also a member of the Musaceae family. The plant is native to the Yunnan province in China, where it grows high in the mountains up to an altitude of 2500 m. It is known for its yellow erect flower (see image), generally appearing during the second year of cultivation, that can last a few months. Just before opening, the flower resembles a lotus - from which the plant gets one of its names.
In 1841, the United States Department of Agriculture introduced Chinese dwarf cooking-bananas to Florida, but there was little interest among consumers at the time.[4][dubious – discuss]
References
- ^ Ensete lasiocarpum (from its basionym Musa lasiocarpa) was published in Kew Bulletin 2(2): 102. 1947. "Name - Ensete lasiocarpum (Franch.) Cheesman". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT). Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of all Plant Species".
- ^ Musa lasiocarpa (the basionym of Ensete lasiocarpum) was originally described and published in Journal de Botanique (Morot) 3(20): 330–331, f. 1. 1889. "Name - Musa lasiocarpa Franch". Tropicos. MOBOT. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ Virginia Scott Jenkins: "Bananas: An American History", Smithsonian Institution Press (ISBN 1-56098-966-1), p. 6
External links
- Musella lasiocarpa from Bananas.org