Musa basjoo

Native range and cultivation history of Musa basjoo

Musa basjoo is native to southern China. It was later introduced to Japan and Korea and has a long history in East Asian cultivation.

Older horticultural references may use the name Musa japonica.

Outdoor and container care for Musa basjoo

• Site: Choose full sun or a very bright spot sheltered from persistent wind. Leave enough room for the broad crown to expand.
• Water: Give it plenty of water during strong growth, especially in hot weather. As temperatures fall, good drainage becomes especially important.
• Soil and nutrients: Grow it in fertile, humus-rich soil. Plants in pots also benefit from regular feeding while they are growing strongly.
• Cold-season protection: Insulate the root zone with a deep mulch where hard frosts occur. Wrap the pseudostems too if you want to preserve their height through winter.
• Potted plants: Roots in pots are vulnerable to frost. Move containers to a protected place before prolonged frost and water sparingly while growth has almost stopped.
• Repotting: Move it into a container one size larger once roots fill the pot or the soil begins drying unusually quickly after thorough watering.
• Propagation: Separate a rooted sucker once strong growth resumes, then replant it at the same soil level.

Common problems with Musa basjoo

• Leaves are shredded after windy weather: The blades naturally split along their veins. Add shelter if repeated wind is damaging each new leaf as it opens.
• The top of a pseudostem blackens after frost: Cold has killed the soft upper tissue. Once severe frost has passed, remove the blackened top down to firm living tissue using clean pruners.
• The crown turns soft in cold, wet conditions: Rot can begin where damaged tissue stays waterlogged. Using clean pruners, remove the soft tissue until the cut surface is firm and healthy. Discard the removed tissue, then improve drainage and rain protection.
• Edges brown during a hot dry spell: The soil may have become too dry. Soak it thoroughly and add mulch to help the soil hold moisture.
• Sticky patches, mite webbing or cottony deposits appear under cover: Aphids, spider mites or mealybugs may be feeding. Check beneath the leaves and along the stems to confirm which pest is present, then treat the plant with a suitable product and repeat only as the label directs.

Musa basjoo 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.

How the name Musa basjoo came about

Musa is an old name for banana adopted into botanical Latin. The epithet basjoo is a Latinized spelling of the Japanese word bashō, a name for banana plants.

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

Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel first described Musa basjoo in 1867 in Annales Musei Botanici Lugduno-Batavi, volume 3, page 203; Philipp Franz von Siebold had proposed the name.