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Musella lasiocarpa (Golden Lotus Banana) - A sensational 3-4 foot tall perennial dwarf banana relative that has an unusual yellow flower somewhat reminiscent of that of an ornamental thistle or flower of the King Protea. It forms 1 - 2 ft. tall stems arising from stout horizontal rhizomes. From the stems emerge 1-2 foot long broad lanceolate blue green leaves. Prior to flowering the older leaves die back and the plant puts out smaller leaves, then the apex of the stem begins to swell until the flower bud, looking a bit like an artichoke, emerges. The flower, actually an 8-12" long terminal panicle, is composed of a dense head of broad yellow bracts below the clusters of 1" long tubular yellow flowers.
Plant in full sun to light shade and give regular irrigation in summer. As this plant reportedly grows in the mountainous areas of Yunnan where it survives regular frosts, it should prove to be quite cold hardy; some report it hardy to USDA zones 5 or 6. Plant in a grouping so some plants are in flower while others are in foliage.
Musella lasiocarpa is thought to be a plant endemic to South West Yunnan where it grew in the mountainous area up to 7,500 feet in altitude and although cultivated in China and Vietnam, may now be extinct in the wild. It was reported that this plant was only recently discovered but it has been known to the Yunnanese since antiquity and was first discovered by western botanists in 1885. It has caused nomenclatural problems for taxonomists and its current status is still controversial. It was initially placed in the genus Musa but later renamed Ensete lasiocarpum. The plant is considered by many taxonomists to be an anomaly in both Musa and Ensete and current treatment is to place it in its own genus, Musella. Common names in Yunnan include names that translate as 'yellow lotus emerging from the earth' or 'yellow lotus of the earth mother' or, more simply, 'rock banana'. The plant is said to be cultivated as pig fodder and is also eaten by people, although for human consumption the plant must be prepared in a special manner to remove some poisonous elements. We received our first plant of this species from Glenn Stokes at Stokes Tropicals Nursery in 1999 and when it flowered all who saw it were amazed so in 2003 we ordered bareroot shoots of it from Stokes Tropicals amd propagated from these and sold this interesting plant from 2003 until 2009.
The information about Musella lasiocarpa displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
