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Musella lasiocarpa (Golden Lotus Banana) - A attractive 3-4-foot-tall perennial dwarf banana relative that has an unusual yellow flower somewhat reminiscent of that of an ornamental thistle or the flower of a King Protea, Protea cynaroides. It forms 1 - 2 ft. tall stems rising up from stout horizontal rhizomes. From the stems emerge 1-2-foot-long broad lanceolate blue green leaves. Prior to flowering the older leaves die back and the plant starts to put out smaller narrower leaves, then the apex of the stem begins to swell until the flower bud, looking a bit like an artichoke, emerges. The flower, actually an 8-12" long terminal panicle, is composed of a dense head of broad yellow bracts below the clusters of 1" long tubular yellow flowers.
Plant in full sun to light shade and give regular irrigation in summer. As this plant reportedly grows in the mountainous areas of Yunnan where it survives regular frosts, it should prove to be quite cold hardy; some report it hardy to USDA zones 5 or 6. Plant in a grouping so some plants are in flower while others are in foliage.
Musella lasiocarpa is thought to be a plant endemic to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces where it grew in the mountainous area up to 7,500 feet in altitude and, although cultivated in China and Vietnam, it may now be extinct in the wild. It was reported that this plant was only recently discovered but it has been known to the Yunnanese since antiquity and was first discovered by western botanists in 1885. It has caused nomenclatural problems for taxonomists, and its current status is still controversial. It was initially placed in the genus Musa but later renamed Ensete lasiocarpum. The plant is considered by many taxonomists to be an anomaly in both the genera Musa and Ensete and current treatment has resulted that it be placed in its own genus, Musella. Common names in Yunnan include names that translate as 'yellow lotus emerging from the earth' or 'yellow lotus of the earth mother' or, more simply, 'rock banana'. The plant is said to be cultivated as pig fodder and is also eaten by people, although for human consumption the plant must be prepared in a special manner to remove some poisonous elements.
We received our first plant of this species from Glenn Stokes at Stokes Tropicals in Louisiana in 1999 and when it flowered in our garden, all who saw it were so amazed that in 2003 we ordered bareroot shoots of it from Stokes Tropicals. We propagated from these plants and sold this interesting plant from 2003 until 2009. There is also a darker orange flowed form that may be another species and was christened as Musella rubrobracteta 'Sunrise' by Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery.
The information displayed on this page about Musella lasiocarpa is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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