''Musa velutina'', the hairy banana, or pink banana, is a

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

species of

wild Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

. These plants are originally from Assam and the eastern Himalayas. The fruits are long, pink, and fuzzy. They are borne on erect flower stalks with a pink

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

. ''Musa velutina'' flowers at a young age, doing so within a year. The fruits peel back when ripe. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has soft, sweet flesh that can be eaten. The seeds are quite tough and can chip a tooth. To sow, first soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours. They should be planted in fine

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

and kept at a constant temperature of 20°-24 °C (68 to 75.2F) with full natural light. They take up to around 6 months to germinate. Plants may be placed outside during warmer months but should be taken into a conservatory or greenhouse or given other protection in winter. ''Musa velutina'' has received the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Gallery

Musa velutina2.jpg, Purple banana dsc00195.jpg, Musa velutina seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seeds

References

velutina {{Zingiberales-stub