This rare and unique banana palm features stunning red colouration on gargantuan leaves. Get it before it's gone!
Ensete ventricosum
en-set-EE ven-trih-coh-sum
Common Names: Red Banana, Ethiopian Banana, African Wild Banana, Abyssinian Banana, False Banana
Family: Musaceae
Origin: East Tropical Africa
Growth: Upwards, clumping. Old leaves naturally fall off
Light: Full sun
Foot Candles: 250+
Water: Keep evenly moist
Humidity: 50% - 90%
Temperature: 18°C - 32°C
Soil: Well draining potting mix
Container: Self-watering planter
Nutrients: 20-10-10 Monthly
Propagation: Seed or vegetative cutting
Interiorscape Use: Large leaves with great colour
Common Pests: Mealybugs, Aphids, Spider Mites, Scale, Thrips.
Common Issues: Cold drafts can cause brown tips. Leaves often droop when they reach a large size.
Comments: Typically grown for foliage but will bloom when mature. Plant will die after flowering. Unlike the Musa Banana, the Ensete does not put out suckers that can be propagated. A specimen sized plant can have leaves 6 meters long. The fruit barely resembles the common banana and is not grown for consumption. Banana trees are not trees at all, but are among the worlds largest herbs.
Toxicity: Safe.