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Hardy Banana

Musa Basjoo

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Overview

Musa basjoo, or Hardy Banana, is a robust herbaceous perennial, reaching heights of 6-14 ft with a 6-10 ft spread. Its pseudo-stem and broad, arching leaves create a tropical effect. Hardy to USDA Zone 7, it survives temperatures down to 0°F when mulched. Fast-growing, it prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Not a fruit producer, but its dramatic foliage provides a lush, exotic landscape element.

Sun Full, HalfWater HighZones 10–11Type PerennialClimate Subtropical

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — perennial for full or half

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Its pseudo-stem and broad, arching leaves create a tropical effect; yellow flowers in the garden

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Be sure to educate the client on winter care practices; reaching heights of 6-14 ft with a 6-10 ft spread, image 55

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — reaching heights of 6-14 ft with a 6-10 ft spread

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Native to the Ryukyu Islands off Japan; perennial for full or half

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — yellow flowers in the garden

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — bright green leaves that can reach lengths of 6 to 10 feet and widths of up to 2 feet

Culture

Sun: Full, Half
Water: High
USDA zones: 10–11

Shape & size

Classification

Type: Perennial
Family: Musaceae
Climate: Subtropical

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Photos (59)

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — perennial for full or half

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Its pseudo-stem and broad, arching leaves create a tropical effect; yellow flowers in the garden

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Be sure to educate the client on winter care practices; reaching heights of 6-14 ft with a 6-10 ft spread, image 55

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — reaching heights of 6-14 ft with a 6-10 ft spread

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Native to the Ryukyu Islands off Japan; perennial for full or half

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — yellow flowers in the garden

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — bright green leaves that can reach lengths of 6 to 10 feet and widths of up to 2 feet

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -20°F when properly mulched

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -20°F when properly mulched; the creamy-yellow flowers that precede it add a

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — to ensure year-round enjoyment of this exotic beauty; such as mulching around the base to protect the rhizome in, image 57

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — is a striking addition to any temperate landscape design

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — is a striking addition to any temperate landscape design; emerging from stout trunks that are actually pseudo-stems, image 48

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — bright green leaves that can reach lengths of 6 to 10 feet and widths of up to 2 feet; is a robust herbaceous perennial

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — this herbaceous perennial is remarkably cold-hardy; commonly referred to as the Hardy Banana

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — perennial with yellow blooms

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Its pseudo-stem and broad, arching leaves create a tropical effect

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — is a robust herbaceous perennial; hardy to USDA Zone 7, it survives temperatures down to 0°F when mulched

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — emerging from stout trunks that are actually pseudo-stems composed of leaf sheaths; is a striking addition to any, image 53

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — such as mulching around the base to protect the rhizome in colder climates; native to the Ryukyu Islands off Japan

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — the creamy-yellow flowers that precede it add a unique point of interest in the summer

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — to ensure year-round enjoyment of this exotic beauty

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Not a fruit producer, but its dramatic foliage provides a lush, exotic landscape element; perennial with yellow blooms, image 46

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Native to the Ryukyu Islands off Japan; perennial for full or half, image 49

Hardy Banana (Musa Basjoo) — Native to the Ryukyu Islands off Japan

Photographs by 14 contributors

Manfred Werner - Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Jungle Rebel from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · source
Sun Jiao (Interaccoonale), CC BY 4.0 · source
David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Shigeru-a24, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Maja Dumat, CC BY 2.0 · source
FireFeather, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Muséum de Toulouse from Toulouse, France, CC BY 2.0 · source
Vitaly Zdanevich, CC BY 4.0 · source
Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

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