Family: Musaceae
Scientific name: Ensete ventricosum
Common name: Ethiopian Banana
Origin: Ethiopia
The Ethiopian banana in Ethiopia constitutes an important source of food, because the roots of the species can be eaten. The banana grows in moist woods along hillsides and rivers, and it can reach a height of about six meters. The five meter long leaves have a reddish midrib and the bananas are edible, but also full of seeds.
The species can also be kept as a container plant with a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius and thus remains a lot smaller.
Sowing description: First scarify the seeds with sand paper and then soak them in lukewarm water for 48 hours. Sow them in sowing mix, keep the soil constantly moist 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