Banana, Golden Lotus (Musella lasiocarpa), packet of 5 seeds

Family: Banana (Musaceae)

Hardy to zones 7 to 10, otherwise kept as an indoor plant

(Chinese Dwarf Banana, Yellow Lotus of the Earth Mother) Tender perennial broadleaf native to Yunnan in China where it grows at altitudes up to 8,000 feet. Flowers yellow to a height of 3 feet.  Broadleaved foliage may extend to a height of 5 feet.  The broad, thick, shiny leaves are used for wrapping food and as dinner plates. They are also used as a nutritious fodder for livestock.  Flowers in the second year and ongoing, on upright trunks.  In young individuals, one flower is typical.  In older, well-established plants, up to three trunks may be expected, each capped by the showy, crown-like flower. Fruits occur in a ring below the flower, an inedible, fleshy cone filled at absolute maturity with the round, black seeds.  Fruits and seeds are illustrated in the gallery.   Flowers persist for up to 6 months.  Both leaves and flowers lend an exotic feel to greenhouse, solarium or garden.  Traditional uses (TCM):  The flowers are mashed and used as a poultice to treat inflammation.  The flowers are dried and made into a tea or decoction to treat menstrual disorders and dysentery.  The plant prefers full sun to part shade and a moist, warm, humid environment, prospering best in the greenhouse. The aerial parts will persist as long as frost is avoided.  If the plant freezes back, the rhizome may remain viable, sending forth new shoots in the spring.  Mulch deeply in the colder zones.  Musella appreciates daily watering, growing best in deep, rich, fertile soils.  Prune away outer leaves when they begin to yellow and droop.  this will promote formation of new, turgid leaves that arise from the center of the plant.  Side-shoots (suckers) may be removed and replanted.  Trim the leaves to start, and make sure each clonal cutting contains at least a little root.  These will take if potted in gallon pots of rich soil, kept warm and in the light.   Seeds should be placed in moist sand or coir and refrigerated for 6 weeks prior to planting.  Just before planting, nick the seed with a sharp blade.  Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep in warm potting soil and tamp.  Keep warm and in the light until germination, which may take as long as 5 months.  Work seedlings up in pots.  It takes 2 years to produce a full-sized plant. These do best in half-drums, as they are very large. Space plants 5 feet apart.

5 seeds per packet, Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s