Musa mannii

H. Wendl. ex Baker

Indian dwarf banana

MusaceaeFruit

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant. It cannot tolerate frost. It needs a well drained rich soil. In Melbourne Botanical Gardens hothouse. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.

Asia, Australia, India, Northeastern India,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A small banana. It grows 1.5 m tall. The false stem is slender. It has purple black spots. The leaves are oblong and 60-80 cm long by 18-20 cm wide. The leaves are green but the midrib is red. The leaf stem is 20-25 cm long. The flowering shoot is erect at first and then droops. The flowering stem is 15-18 cm long and 2 cm across. It is red with white down. The bracts are red. Fruit are 5-6 cm long. They are light green to yellow when ripe. The ripe fruit can be eaten. The seeds are 5-6 mm long. There are 20-30 seeds in each fruit. It produces many suckers.