Musa sikkimensis
Common name
Darjeeling banana
Family
Musaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Conservation status
Not applicable
Brief description
A tree-like perennial herb with stems to 4 m tall that die off to ground level after flowering. The plant is a perennial, with new suckers or off-shoots arising from the base of the dead stems, the ‘stem’ being made up of tightly packed leaf sheaths. The inflorescence is on an unbranched arching ‘stalk’ extending well beyond the ‘stem’ and contains both male and female flowers in terminal bunches, followed by short plump ‘bananas’ in whorls along the ‘stalk’; each banana is packed with hard black seeds. Reputedly one of the most cold-hardy Musa species.
Distribution
Grown in many warmer and temperate parts of New Zealand as an ornamental plant but this (2018) is the first record of its self-establishing from seed.
Flower colours
Red/Pink
Propagation technique
Seed or off-shoots
Year naturalised
2018
Origin
Himalayas of north-eastern India, Bhutan
Reason for introduction
Ornamental