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MUSA 'Dwarf Cavendish'

Image of Musa 'Dwarf Cavendish' (Cavendish, A A A Group)

Willis Orchard Co.

Family

Musaceae

Botanical Name

MUSA 'Dwarf Cavendish'( Cavendish, A A A Group)

Plant Common Name

Banana, Dwarf Cavendish Banana

General Description

The edible and ornamental Dwarf Cavendish banana is an upright, fast-growing, small tree-like perennial with large, flat leaves. The flowers give rise to a modest crop of edible bananas. The waxy flowers are yellow and surrounded by purple bracts (modified floral leaves). The small fruits have sweet, white flesh that is seedless. This herbaceous perennial forms clumps of plants at the base, each flowering and fruiting only once before dying. New plantlets, or pups, continually emerge from the base.

Banana plants love warm, fertile soils with consistent moisture. Full sun exposures are best, and typically a long growing season is required to produce fruits, though compact cultivars like 'Dwarf Cavendish' produce fruits faster than large bananas. Avoid sandy, nutritionally poor soils unless they can be well amended and mulched. Banana plants are often root hardy in warmer temperate zones and rejuvenate after spring frosts. Once plants set fruit, they can be chopped out of the clump to allow new pup plants more room and resources to grow.

The sheer exotic and tropical look of this banana is reason enough to grow it. Its small, sweet bananas make it that much more desirable. Plant 'Dwarf Cavendish' in large patio containers or the middle of a mixed border.

Characteristics

  • AHS Heat Zone

    12 - 7

  • USDA Hardiness Zone

    8 - 15

  • Sunset Zone

    H1, H2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

  • Plant Type

    Fruit

  • Sun Exposure

    Full Sun, Partial Sun

  • Height

    8'-10' / 2.4m - 3.0m

  • Width

    4'-6' / 1.2m - 1.8m

  • Bloom Time

    Indeterminate

  • Native To

    Southeastern Asia, Australia

Growing Conditions

  • Soil pH

    Acidic, Neutral

  • Soil Drainage

    Average

  • Soil type

    Clay, Loam, Sand

  • Growth Rate

    Fast

  • Water Requirements

    Average Water

  • Habit

    Clump-Forming

  • Seasonal Interest

    Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Ornamental Features

  • Flower Interest

    Showy

  • Flower Color

    Yellow, Red, Purple

  • Flower Color Modifier

    Multi-Color

  • Fruit Color

    Yellow

  • Foliage Color (Spring)

    Green, Light Green

  • Foliage Color (Summer)

    Green

  • Foliage Color (Fall)

    Green

  • Foliage Color (Winter)

    Green

  • Fragrant Flowers

    No

  • Fragrant Fruit

    Yes

  • Fragrant Foliage

    No

  • Bark or Stem Fragrant

    No

  • Flower Petal Number

    Single

  • Repeat Bloomer

    No

  • Showy Fruit

    Yes

  • Edible Fruit

    Yes

  • Showy Foliage

    Yes

  • Foliage Texture

    Bold

  • Foliage Sheen

    Glossy

  • Evergreen

    Yes

  • Showy Bark

    No

Special Characteristics

  • Usage

    Container, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Mixed Border, Tropical

  • Sharp or Has Thorns

    No

  • Invasive

    No

  • Self-Sowing

    No