We got our Musa Basjoo (Japanese Fiber Bananas) a few years ago when friends needed some help thinning their banana patch. They trailed for eight feet out the back of the wife's hatchback when I brought them home.
The leaves emerge in a tube out the top of the plant and eventually unfurl. When a tree is 4 or 5 years old the leaves stop and the fruit starts.
The flower pod forms on a heavy stem and can be steamed and eaten. As each leaf of the pod opens, a new row of bananas flower and grow
Musa basjoo a native of the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan and are grown for fiber rather that food. The bananas are very small, and really there is not much to them. They are also grown as a prized ornamental.
Musa basjoo are found all over Vancouver Island, some reaching 34'ft. Lightly steam the leaves before you wrap the pig [or salmon] so they don't tear |
