Ensete lasiocarpum Seeds | Wild Enset
LATIN NAME: Ensete lasiocarpum
COMMON NAME: Wild Enset
Plant Profile
Ensete lasiocarpum, commonly known as Wild Enset, is a species in the family Musaceae, native to Yunnan province in China, with a long record in gardens. Wild enset is a large, bold, banana-like plant of warm hill forests, and it carries a huge crown of broad, upright, paddle-shaped leaves on a thick, sturdy trunk. It is a close cousin of enset that has been grown for food in highlands of eastern Africa, and the whole plant has a fine, dramatic, tropical look. Large, fleshy, banana-like flower spike rises from crown, and plant makes a bold, architectural statement in warm garden. Through the flowering season it keeps visiting bees well supplied. Plants that offer this much while asking this little are rare enough to treasure.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the Musaceae family regularly include Ensete lasiocarpum in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Wild enset and its close relatives have a strong place in plant science, mostly because of great importance of enset as a food crop in eastern Africa. In the laboratory and trial ground alike, it serves as workable material for propagation research and line selection.
Uses & Benefits
Wild Enset works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Enset group is one of the most important of the traditional food plants of the east of Africa, where starchy stems and corms are a staple food for millions of people. Large leaves and thick stems have their uses in traditional practice, and plant is a generous grower of warm, moist ground. It has been written up in agricultural and horticultural papers for its food value and its bold form. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
The false banana feeds millions in Ethiopia, its fermented stem starch a uniquely drought-secure staple under study as a climate-resilient crop.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Wild Enset, and the process is uncomplicated. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Pot the young plants on as they grow, harden them off gradually, and plant them into their final positions when sturdy.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Ensete group, true to type from seed. Start with fresh seed, keep it evenly moist, and the plant does the rest itself.
Related Reading
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