Musa itinerans Cheesman

Rhizomes markedly elongating. Pseudostems dull yellow-green, purple when old, 5--7 m, often with withered leaves. Petiole 50--60 cm, margin closed at middle of petiole but gradually opening basally and apically, submembranous; leaf blade adaxially green, abaxially pale green and not pruinose, ovate-oblong, 2.4--3.1 m × 70--90 cm, base rounded, subsymmetric, apex truncate. Inflorescence subpendulous, velvety. Bracts of male flowers adaxially yellow but basally nearly white, abaxially dark reddish purple and often variegated with longitudinal, yellow stripes and with yellow margin. Flowers 12--16 per bract, in 2 rows. Outer 2 lobes of compound tepal with hooklike appendages; free tepal ca. 1/3 as long as compound tepal, apex minutely apiculate. Infructescence with 5--10 clusters of berries. Berries 15--18 per cluster, ovoid-cylindric, 12--14 × 3--3.5 cm, white velvety, base gradually narrowed into a stalk ca. 3 cm, apex rostrate. Seeds numerous, depressed, ca. 3 × 5--7 mm, irregularly angled, tuberculate. 2 n = 22.

Yunnan [India, Myanmar, Thailand].

Evergreen forests, ravine bottoms; 1000--1300 m.

Musa itinerans, the Yunnan banana, is a species of banana. The tender inner stalk is also harvested and eaten. It is the landmark 24,200th plant species saved at Kew Gardens' Millennium Seed Bank Project. With this addition the seed bank has collected 10% of the world’s wild plant species. In China it is an important food for wild Asian elephants.