Native banana, Maroon-stemmed banana
Musa banksii

Family: Musaceae

What it is like

A banana tree up to 6 m tall. It forms clumps. The stems are dark brown. The leaves are simple and 120-230 cm long by 50-80 cm wide. They are smooth. The leaves are dark green and leathery. The leaf stalks are 50-80 cm long. The flower spike hangs down and it has large red, overlapping bracts. The fruit are 85-135 mm long and occur in bunches. They have many seeds inside. The seeds are 4-5 mm across. The fruit are edible.

There are about 30 Musa species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows naturally in tropical rainforest in NE Queensland. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Samoa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from fresh seed or from suckers.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Musa acuminata subsp. banksii (F. Muell.) N. W. Simmonds; Musa banksii var. muelleriana Domin.; Musa banksii var. samoensis Cheeseman;