Practical
Plants

Ensete ventricosum

Ethiopian Banana

a perennial evergreen member of the Ensete genus in the family Musaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Musaceae
Genus
Ensete
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Height
6 m
Spread
3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The chopped and grated pulp of the corms and leaf sheaths is fermented and used as a flour in making kocho bread[2][4][5]. 100% kocho flour or a mixture of kocho and other cereal flours may be used[5]. It is said to taste like a good quality bread[7]. The endosperm of the seed is consumed as a food[5]. The base of the flower stalk is edible cooked[7][4].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed
Plant part
Stem

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A fibre is obtained from the plant[2].

Product or use
Fibre

Environment

Range
N. Africa - Ethiopia.
Habitat
Open mountain forests[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 10+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Sow the large seed in individual pots in a heated greenhouse at any time of the year. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water beforehand[8]. Germination should take place within 3 months. Grow on the plants for at least a couple of winters in the greenhouse before attempting to grow them outdoors. Division of suckers in spring. Try to get as much of the sucker's roots out as possible without disturbing the main plant too much. Pot the suckers up and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse until they are established.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a very sheltered sunny position in a fertile moisture-retentive soil[8]. This species is not very hardy in Britain but it succeeds outdoors on the Scilly Islands[2] and is sometimes used in sub-tropical bedding[1]. Plants can survive light frosts but they require ample shelter from the wind[3]. It should be possible to grow plants in tubs, keeping them outdoors in the summer and bringing them into a greenhouse or conservatory in the winter[K]. The leaves can be up to 6 metres long[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page