Musa basjoo
A tall, fast-growing banana-family perennial with enormous paddle-shaped leaves and a thick pseudostem, hardy to cold via frost-hardy underground rhizomes enabling winter protection, often reaching about 4–5 meters, and bearing cream flowers with inedible fruit.
Common Names
Japanese Banana, Hardy Banana, Japanese Fiber Banana, Basjoo Banana Plant
Summary
Musa basjoo, the Japanese banana, is a hardy evergreen perennial native to Sichuan, China. It forms dense, fast‑growing clumps with a tree‑like silhouette, featuring arching paddle‑shaped bright green leaves up to about 3 meters long and a pseudostem that can reach roughly 4–5 meters tall; cream to yellow tubular flowers appear in summer on pendent inflorescences, followed by small, ornamental inedible fruits.
Prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well‑drained soils rich in organic matter. Suitable for beds, borders, or large containers, with winter protection required in cooler regions; underground rhizomes are cold hardy to around −10°F, and above‑ground growth may die back in zones 5–8. Can be grown in large containers or outdoors in sheltered spots, and overwintered indoors or under glass in colder areas; propagation by division (offsets) or seeds; commonly grown for tropical foliage, dramatic architectural presence, and screening, with pests such as aphids and spider mites and diseases like anthracnose or wilt to watch for.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
72-168 inches
Spread
6-8 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-10
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun (6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily); tolerates partial sun or partial shade; adaptable to full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter
Soil Drainage
Well-drained, fertile, loose, humus-rich soil that stays slightly moist but never waterlogged; in pots use a substrate with good drainage (e.g., loam-based compost such as John Innes No 3 with grit) and, if soil is compact or clayey, improve drainage with perlite or gravel.
Soil pH
No single ideal pH; tolerates acidic to alkaline soils.
Bloom Color
Cream
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast-growing
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Siebold ex Miq.
- Publication
- Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 3(fasc. 7): 203, no. 418. 1867 [late 1867]