Musa Balbisiana

This attractive ornamental banana palm bears flowers growing in bright inflorescences coloured from red to maroon, whilst the fruits are between blue and green and are considered inedible because of the seeds they contain. Native to eastern South Asia, northern South east Asia and southern China, it is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas along with Musa acuminata and is eminently suitable for cool conservatories or to be overwintered in a frost-free greenhouses. The clumps of lush, dark foliage make it ideal for creating a jungle landscape as the foliage tends to be more upright than most cultivated banana reaching its full height in about one year. In Thai folklore it is believed that banana plants may be inhabited by a spirit, Nang Tani a type of ghost related to trees and similar plants and which manifests itself as a young woman.