PlantWerkz: Musa Sumatrana

Musa Sumatrana - Blood Banana

Common Name: Blood Banana

Scientific Name: Musa Sumatrana

Height: 8–10 ft (2 – 2.4 m)

Span: 5–8 ft (1.5 – 2 m)

Growth Rate: Fast

Sun Tolerance: Full Sun

ABP Index: 2.5 (Aesthetics 3.0, Solidarity 2.0)

Musa Sumatrana common name is Blood Banana. It is native to Indonesia. It is also known as the red banana tree though it should not be confused with the red banana cultivar. The blood banana is an ornamental plant, named for the dark red patches on its leaves, though its small seeded fruits are also edible. It is grow 8-10 ft(2-2.4m) in height. It blooms red-orange flowers round the year. One tree blooms only one time. The number of hands of female flowers varies from a few to more than 10, after which numerous hands of sterile flowers appear and shed in succession, followed by numerous hands of male flowers which also shed. Generally, a bract rolls up and sheds to expose a new hand of flowers almost daily. It is recommended that bananas be planted in patches or groves, the idea is to place them together in a stand.