Seed bearing banana
Ensete gilettii

Family: Musaceae

What it is like

A large banana like herb. It has a false stem made up of fleshy leaf stalks It grows 5 m high. It has a swollen base. It does not form suckers. It dies after flowering.

There are 6-7 Ensete species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the hilly savannah territory in West Africa. It has been recorded at 1,800 m above sea level in Nigeria.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, Guinea, Guinée, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, West Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, tuber, root, leaf base

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bongui, Forondo

Synonyms

Musa schweinfurthii null;