Ensete Ventricosum (Wild Banana) or Ethiopian Banana.

This tropical beauty with the red midrib and huge leaves of about 5m long (The Ensete Ventricosum) is a relative of the edible banana and is native to Africa.

In South Africa, they are mostly used as an ornamental plant, growing in many gardens. In Ethiopia, the root of this plant is a traditional staple as one root can weigh as much as 40kg. This plant has been cultivated for nearly 8 000 years and provides not only food but is also used for medicine. It is a lot like sweet potatoes.

It is an evergreen perennial plant, a herb that grows up to 6m tall. They grow well in mountain forests, near river streams, dams or water features. To thrive they need temperatures ranging between 16 and 24 degrees Celsius. They mature in about 4 years and can then be harvested.

To grow this plant, you need to prepare the soil with compost and manure first as it needs rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 5-7. This plant needs a lot of water so best to soak it every day. You can find seedlings at nurseries.

The wild banana can last for several years (2-10 years), it only flowers once just before the plant dies. It takes 6 months for the flowers to fruit. The fruit is not really edible, it has hard, black seeds on the inside.

**On these photos, you can see a few examples of where this plant can be used. It truly creates a beautiful picture either standing alone or with other plants. **

These photos were taken with my Galaxy Note 4.

Happy Gardening!!!