Musa itinerans var. xishuangbannaensis Mekong Giant - Hardy Banana

Musa itinerans 'Mekong Giant' is a tall banana tree that can reach up to 12m (39ft) in height in frost-free regions. It is called the "traveller banana tree" because of its long rhizomes that can spread up to 5m (16ft) from the stump. It is native to the distant mountains overlooking the Mekong River, in the Yunnan province of China, where it regularly experiences frost and snow. While its hardiness in our climates is still uncertain due to lack of data, some sources claim that its stump can withstand short periods of frost, down to -12°C (10.4°F), if planted in well-drained soil. This luxuriant variety develops a pseudo-trunk that takes on purplish hues over time and large leaves with a red-tinged underside. A fabulous plant that should be invited into a large garden, if one can provide it with space, long summers, and mild winters.

'Mekong Giant' is a particularly hardy cultivar derived from Musa itinerans var. xishuangbannaensis. It is an arborescent herbaceous perennial plant with a long tuberous rhizome, belonging to the Musaceae family. It grows in the forests of the Himalayas at altitudes of about 1600m (5249ft). It is a semelparous, or annual, plant, meaning that it dies after fruit ripening, and new trunks appear each year from buds carried by the rhizome. It develops a green-yellowish, then reddish pseudo-trunk (stipe), which can reach 10 to 11m (33 to 36ft). The stipe is formed by the petioles of the leaves, wrapped tightly around each other, but it never produces wood. The leaves, sometimes reaching 3m (10ft) in length and 80cm (32in) in width, spread out their laminae like a fan, quickly forming a beautiful clump of 12 to 15m (39 to 49ft) in height and 4 to 5m (13 to 16ft) in width in favourable climates and soils.

Its leaves are a vibrant dark green colour, with a red-tinged underside; they have an undeniable tropical charm. They are carried by a long petiole covered in a waxy bloom. In warm climates, it produces pendulous terminal inflorescences in summer, with large bracts at their axils. Each flower is either male or female. The ovoid male flowers are located at the base of the cluster, while the female flowers occupy its tip. When fertilisation occurs, the female flowers are followed by rust-brown fruits, resembling 14cm (6in) bananas. The fruits have no edible interest, however. In winter, the leaves wither at the first frost, but the plant will sprout from the base in the following spring. Its hardiness seems quite good for well-established specimens. It is advisable to protect younger plants from heavy frost and excessive humidity.

Still rarely used in our European gardens, preceded by a remarkable reputation as a hardy tropical plant, the Giant Mekong Banana deserves to be cultivated in open ground in regions with long, hot summers, and mild winters without severe frost. It will be magnificent as a solitary plant, but it can also be grown in a large pot on a patio or in a conservatory. If grown in pots, monitor watering carefully and protect the plant from frost. This remarkable plant, like the giant canna, Tetrapanax papyfera, bamboo, giant miscanthus, or castor oil plant, will give a fabulously exotic look to temperate gardens.

In its country of origin, this prolific banana tree is a source of food for wild and domestic elephants.

Just like perennial plants, banana trees are dormant during winter: their above-ground parts dry up and die. Plants shipped in winter are therefore pruned to the ground (leaves and stems) by our teams to allow for better growth in spring.