Botanical name: Musa coccinea Family: Musaceae (Banana family)
Synonyms: Musa uranoscopos (?)
Scarlet Banana is a small tree-like plant with eye-catching scarlet flowers. The pseudostems grow up to 1.5 metres high, 5 cm in diameter at base, green. Leaves are up to 1 m long, 25 cm wide, narrowed gradually to a rounded tip. Leaf stalks are up to 35 cm long. Inflorescence is quite erect, its peduncle scarcely emerging from the sheath of the subtending leaf. Last foliage leaf with reddish petiole ; sterile bracts usually 2, bright scarlet with green leaflike tips. First fertile bract about 15 cm long. Flowers of the basal bracts are female, from 1 to 4 clusters or occasionally more, upper flowers male. Flowers are scarlet in color. Scarlet Banana is probably native to SE Asia.
Identification credit: Aarti Khale
The flower labeled Scarlet Banana is ...