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Ensete perrieri
Ensete perrieri is a critically endangered, tree-like herbaceous banana relative from the dry forests of western Madagascar, grown mainly for conservation and breeding for disease resistance. Its key care point is that it is a seasonal, drought-tolerant plant that drops its leaves in the dry season.
Ensete perrieri, or the Madagascar banana, is a species of banana exclusively found in western Madagascar. The Madagascar banana is listed as critically endangered because of deforestation and climate change. Some botanists believe that the Madagascar banana is a potential source of resistance to Panama disease, which wiped out the Gros Michel banana, and threatens the Cavendish banana, which is the main banana of international commerce.
Madagascar bananas are native to the dry tropical forests of western Madagascar, and in 2018, it was thought by botanists at Kew Gardens that there were only three known mature Madagascar banana trees left, but seedlings have been seen. The Madagascar banana has a genetic trait that allows it to be resistant to diseases. Madagascar bananas can be found within the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve.
Because of its large seeds, it is not palatable to eat. However, it may be possible to breed edible bananas with it. A traditional Malagasy use of the banana in southwest Madagascar is to grind the stems to a powder as a treatment for stomach-ache.
Snow Banana · Cliff Banana · Abyssinian banana · Ethiopian Banana
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ensete perrieri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
