Ensete ventricosum
(F. M. J. Welwitsch) E. E. Cheesman

eventricosum001 Illustration of Ensete ventricosum (labelled Musa ensete) from Les Promenades de Paris, A. Alphand, 1867-73 (in the RHS Lindley Library).  Taken from Hobhouse, P. (1994). Plants in Garden History. Pavilion Books Limited, London. ISBN 1 85793 273 0.
eventricosum002 Illustration of, I think, a form of Ensete ventricosum from; Sydenham: Crystal Palace, the Egyptian room, Tropical Plants, by Philip H. Delamotte, 1854.  From the Stapleton Collection/Bridgman Art Library, London/New York.  Taken from Musgrave, T., Gardner, C., and Musgrave, W. (1998). The Plant Hunters. Ward Lock, London. ISBN 0 7063 7753 2.
  The following chronological sequence of 6 photographs is of a flowering plant of Ensete ventricosum grown in the garden of Ganesh Mani Pradhan, Kalimpong, West Bengal, India.
eventricosum003 General view of developing inflorescence showing its early pendulous nature. 
eventricosum004 General view of inflorescence showing the reddish colouration of the bracts; female flowers just apparent.
eventricosum005 Close up of inflorescence showing the reddish colouration of the bracts and with female flowers showing.
eventricosum006 General view of flowering plant.  The plant is relatively short, the pseudostem no more than 1.5 m. at flowering, much shorter than would be common in Africa.
eventricosum007 General view of mature inflorescence.
eventricosum008 Close up of mature inflorescence with male flowers showing.

   

 


last revision 05 November 2002