Musa yunnanensis

Musa yunnanensis, commonly known as either Yunnan banana or wild forest banana,^[3] is a recently described plant in the banana and plantain family native to Yunnan in southern China. The type specimen was collected in 2005 in Xishuangbanna (an autonomous prefecture bordering on Indochina), at an elevation c. 1,150 meters.^[1]

Musa yunnanensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Musaceae
Genus:	Musa
Section:	Musa sect. Musa
Species:	M. yunnanensis
Binomial name
Musa yunnanensis Häkkinen & H.Wang[1]
Varieties[2]
M. y. var. caii Hakkinen & H.Wang M. y. var. yongpingensis Hakkinen & H.Wang M. y. var. yunnanensis (autonym)

Although M. yunnanesis grows in montane tropical forest, it is both shade and frost tolerant, and sensitive to direct sunlight, and so is essentially an understory plant. Individuals typically reach about 5 – 5.25 meters in height at maturation. Bark on pseudostems is coated in wax that is white with a bluish cast. The upper surface of the leaves are also bluish, though their undersides are red hued.^[3]

Musa yunnanensis has value to local wildlife; its summer fruits are consumed by birds, bats, and possibly elephants.^[3]

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