Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'

Cultivated origin of Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'

'Dwarf Cavendish' is one of the long-established Cavendish bananas, a cultivated group with ancestry from Musa acuminata.

Cavendish bananas have been grown in Europe since the 19th century. Plants received via Mauritius were cultivated at Chatsworth in England around 1830 and flowered there in 1835.

Care for Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'

• Light: Put it at the sunniest window or outdoor position available, introducing direct sun gradually. Strong light supports healthy growth and improves the chance of flowering on a mature plant.
• Outdoor shelter: Choose a sheltered position to protect new leaves from strong wind and tearing.
• Water: Keep the mix evenly moist while new leaves are opening. Give a full soak and let excess water drain away. When growth slows, delay the next watering.
• Soil and nutrition: Use a rich, free-draining mix. Feed regularly while it is growing strongly, following the fertiliser label.
• Warmth: Protect the plant from frost and prolonged chilling.
• Indoor humidity: Keep the plant well away from radiators and air vents, especially in heated rooms.
• Repotting: Move it to a larger pot once the root system fills the container or wilting returns quickly between waterings. Choose the next pot size up.
• Propagation: Choose a sucker with a good cluster of roots, detach it, then place it in a separate pot. Keep it warm until established.

Troubleshooting Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'

• New leaves are pale and elongated: Light levels may be too low. Increase brightness and introduce additional direct sun gradually.
• Wilting returns soon after a complete soak: A pot packed with roots can dry very quickly. Check the root ball and move up a pot size if the roots are tightly crowded.
• Yellowing spreads through a persistently wet root ball: A dense mix can stay wet too long and damage the roots. Drain the container thoroughly. If roots are soft or rotten, cut away damaged roots to healthy tissue with a clean blade, discard the rotten material, and repot using fresh, free-draining potting mix.
• Leaves become sticky, webbed or cottony: Sticky residue suggests aphids, webbing points to mites and cottony patches indicate mealybugs. Isolate the plant, confirm the pest, and use a suitable product as directed on its label. Follow any repeat interval given on the label.

Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ is non-toxic to people and pets

• This plant is non-toxic to people, cats and dogs.
• Chewing a large amount can still cause an upset stomach.
• If a large amount is eaten and symptoms continue, contact a veterinarian or medical professional.

Musa acuminata: where the name comes from

Musa is an old name for banana adopted into botanical Latin. The Latin epithet acuminata means tapering to a long point and refers to the narrowing tip of a leaf or another plant part.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Musa in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 1043.

Luigi Colla first described Musa acuminata in 1820 in Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, volume 25, page 394.