Musa Sikkimensis Red Tiger - Red Tiger Darjeeling Banana - Ornamental Fruit - 5 Seeds

Originating from high mountain forests in eastern India and wedged between Nepal to the West and Buthan to the East comes this colourful variety of the famous Darjeeling banana - Musa sikkimensis. While just as easy to grow and just as cold tolerant as the regular M. sikkimensis, 'Red Tiger' has a most stunning pattern to its leaves, with dark purple zebra stripes on the upper surface and a reddish purple below and represents much hardier alternative to Musa zebrina. The plant is robust and about 4 m tall with a yellowish-green foliage and reddish tinged pseudostem. The sheath is smudged with blackish-brown and is without wax when mature, unlike Musa nagensium which has thick wax deposits in the pseudostem sheaths. The bases of the lamina bear a red-purple colour when young, which gradually fades, latest on the midrib. The inflorescence far outshoots the pseudostem, producing an oblique fruit bunch. The fruits are described as lax, arising from large, brown callosities on axis, angled at maturity. The pulp is scanty, dirty white to pale brownish-pink. Flowering and fruiting takes place from October to April. This isnt an edible banana but makes for a great feature plant in the garden.