Basjoo Banana Tree

Musa basjoo (Musaceae) is a herbaceous perennial native to Sichuan, China (long misattributed to Japan). It grows rapidly to 6 to 14 feet tall and wide, producing large, paddle-shaped bright green leaves on a fleshy pseudostem. Creamy to yellow-orange torpedo-shaped flowers appear with reddish-brown to purple bracts. Small, ornamental fruits form but are not edible.

Hardy banana thrives in full sun to part shade on moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil (pH 6.0 to 8.0). In warm climates it is evergreen; in colder zones the top freezes to the ground but regrows from the rootstock if mulched heavily. The species is widely used in temperate gardens for tropical foliage effect and in container culture. It is the hardiest Musa species, surviving root temperatures well below freezing. Hardy in Zones 5a to 10b.