MUSELLA LASIOCARPA

This member of the Musaceae family was given this name by Cheng Yih Wu after Hsi Wen Li in 1979. It was found in Yunnan, China and Vietnam, where it is supposed to be extinct in the wild. It is grown as a crop in China, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. It will do fine in well drained rich or mixed soil with some water and lots of sun. If it's given sun enough, it will only rise for 60 centimetres. With less light and lots of fertilizer, it can grow to two meters. The rhizomes can grow to seven centimetres in diameter, but will not tolerate exposure. The large flower is yellow, and can last for half a year.

The genera name Musella is the diminutive of Musa, the genus name for the banana. The species name means 'woolly fruit '.

This plant has a sub-terrain rhizome, and is a little out of my league. This might be Musa acuminata, Colla 1820.