Family: Musaceae
Scientific name: Ensete glaucum
Common name: Snow Banana
Origin: Himalaya
The snow banana grows in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3.000 meters and is therefore resistant to low temperatures. In fact, unprotected the species can withstand light frost. If ,however, the plant is wrapped well with insulation during the winter, combined with a sheltered spot, it could be hardy up to -10 up to -15 degrees Celsius. It’s a fast grower with leaves up to 3 meters tall and large, pale green flowers.
Sowing description: First scarify the seeds with some sand paper and then soak them in lukewarm water for 48 hours. Sow them in sowing mix and let them germinate at around 25 degC. Germination can take several weeks to months.
Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: -5 degrees Celsius
Photo 1: Tony Rodd via Flickr
Photo 2: Andres74 via FousdePalmiers.fr
