Ensete lasiocarpum seed

LATIN NAME: Ensete lasiocarpum

COMMON NAME: Wild Enset

Wild enset is the large, bold, banana-like plant of the warm hill forests, and it carries a huge crown of the broad, upright, paddle-shaped leaves on a thick, sturdy trunk. It is a close cousin of the enset that has been grown for food in the highlands of the east of Africa, and the whole plant has a fine, dramatic, tropical look. The large, fleshy, banana-like flower spike rises from the crown, and the plant makes a bold, architectural statement in the warm garden. It is a striking, generous plant of the warm, moist, sheltered ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Wild enset and its close relatives have a strong place in the plant science, mostly because of the great importance of the enset as a food crop in the east of Africa. The starchy, food-bearing stems and the traditional ways the plants are grown and processed have been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the staple crops and the food security. The breeding of the improved forms and the studies of the related wild species are an active field, and the plant is a regular subject of the tropical agriculture research. The information here is careful and well grounded.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The enset group is one of the most important of the traditional food plants of the east of Africa, where the starchy stems and the corms are a staple food for the millions of the people. The wild relative brings the same bold, useful character to the warm garden, where it makes a fine, dramatic, tropical showpiece. The large leaves and the thick stems have their uses in the traditional practice, and the plant is a generous grower of the warm, moist ground. It has been written up in the agricultural and the horticultural papers for its food value and its bold form.

Wild enset belongs to the same group as the great food plant of the highlands of the east of Africa, where the starchy stems are a staple food for the millions of the people. The wild relative grows in the warm hill forests of the east of Asia, and it brings the same bold, banana-like form to the warm garden. The huge, paddle-shaped leaves and the thick, sturdy trunk make it one of the most dramatic of the warm-climate plants, and it grows on steadily for years in the right, sheltered spot. It is a fine, architectural showpiece for the warm garden.

To grow the wild enset from seed, bury the large, hard, round seeds a couple of centimetres down in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a warm, bright, humid spot and water gently. The seedlings push through in good time, and they grow on into bold young plants that prefer the warmth, the humidity and the shelter from the cold and the strong wind. Give them a warm, moist, sheltered corner with the sun or the light shade, and the huge, paddle-leaved plant will make a fine, dramatic statement.

Ensete lasiocarpum, commonly known as Chinese dwarf banana golden lotus banana or Chinese Yellow Banana is a plant of the Ensete genus. It is a close relative of bananas and also a member of the Musaceae family. The plant is native to the Yunnan province in China, where it grows high
in the mountains up to an altitude of 2500 m. It is known for its yellow erect flower generally appearing during the second year of growth.
The bloom can last several months. Just before blooming the flowerresembles a lotus from which the plant gets one of its names.

Synonyms:Musella lasiocarpa