Common Name: Ethiopian Banana

General Information

Ensete ventricosum is a tall, herbaceous, evergreen perennial plant with a central stem that makes it appear tree-like. It grows up to 6 metres tall. Unlike most other species of banana, this species does not generally produce suckers[, ].
Ethiopian banana is a major food source for people in the highlands of southern and southwestern Ethiopia, where the plant has been cultivated for perhaps 8,000 years. In other areas it is harvested from the wild for local use, providing food, medicines, fibre and a range of other commodities. The plant is often grown as an ornamental and also to provide shade[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sudan, Ethiopia, west DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

Habitat

Open mountain forests[]. Montane forest and riverine forest, often in clearings, gullies and near streams, usually at elevations from 1,000 - 1,600 metres, but occasionally descending to 500 metres or ascending to 2,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 3,100 metres, though it thrives best at 1,800 - 2,450 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 16 - 24°c, but can tolerate 8 - 30°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of -2°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,100 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 900 - 1,700mm[].
Requires a very sheltered position, preferably in full sun, though appreciating some shade at the hottest part of the day[, ]. Grows best in a fertile, humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.6 - 7.3, tolerating 5 - 7.5[]. Established plants can tolerate some drought[].
A monocarpic plant, individual stems can live for several years without flowering, but then flower just once before dying[, , ].
The rate of progress from emergence to flowering depends on factors such as landrace/cultivar, altitude, spacing, number of transplantings and soil fertility. In general, the plant takes 2 - 10 years from germination to flowering, and about 6 months from flowering to fruiting[].
Climatic conditions at higher elevations, especially low temperature and frost, hamper the growth of the crop and its maturation may take twice as long, or even longer, than in lower regions[].
The plants are usually harvested for food when about 3 - 4 years old, before the formation of the inflorescence which would use up the starch[].
The yield of Ethiopian banana products is determined by the type of landrace grown, climatic factors, soil fertility, the time to maturity, the methods of processing and the length of the fermentation period. The fresh yield of kocho is 16 - 42 kilos per plant or 12 - 25 tonnes per hectare per year. The fibre yield of enset has been estimated at 500 g per plant[].
The leaves can be up to 6 metres long[].

Edible Uses

Corm - cooked[]. Known as 'amicho', it is eaten in a similar way to potato, sweet potato or cassava[].
The chopped and grated pulp of the corms and leaf sheaths is fermented and made into a flour known as 'kocho'[, , , ]. A bread can be made using 100% kocho flour or a mixture of kocho and other cereal flours[]. It is said to taste like a good quality bread[]. 'Bulla' is prepared from the starchy liquid obtained by squeezing the mixture of chopped and grated pulp - this can be used to make a porridge or is made into a dough and baked on a hotplate[].

The endosperm of the seed is consumed as a food[]. A famine food, used when little else is available[].

The base of the flower stalk is edible cooked[, ].

The fruit is only eaten in times of scarcity[].

Medicinal

The stem and leaves are used to treat liver and miscarriage problems[, ].
A decoction of pounded leaves is taken to stimulate labour or induce abortion[].
Hepatitis and other liver complaints are treated with ash and infusions from the fruit and leaves[].

A white powder obtained from the seeds is used to treat wounds. It is applied on the wound twice a day[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The fresh leaves are used to provide shade in nurseries[].

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the stem is used for cordage and sacking[, , ].
The leaf sheaths provide a good quality fibre for making rope, twine, baskets, suitcases, mats and sacks[].
The dried leaf sheaths are used as packing and wrapping material, in fences, mattresses, mats and in house construction[].
The leaves can be used for weaving and thatching[, ].

The seeds are used to make necklaces and rosaries; in rattles; and for children's games[, , ].

A brown dye is obtained from the stem[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water, then sow the large seed in individual pots[]. Germination should take place within 3 months. Grow on the plants until large enough to plant out.
Division of suckers. Try to get as much of the sucker's roots out as possible without disturbing the main plant too much. Pot the suckers up and grow them on in light shade until they are established. This species rarely forms suckers[, ].
In vegetative propagation, an immature plant is cut 10 - 15cm above the junction of the pseudostem and the corm. The corm is then split into 2 - 4 equal parts and the apical bud is removed to break apical dominance and induce the formation of several buds from the mother corm. The split corms are planted immediately or stored in shade for 2 - 3 days if there is rain. They are planted 1 metre apart and 50 - 150 new suckers appear 4 - 6 weeks later. In the traditional cropping system, suckers are separated from the mother corm after 1 year or more, and are planted in a well-manured nursery. Plants are subsequently transplanted yearly into new nurseries until they are finally planted in the field where they are left until harvest. The number of transplantings varies depending on the region and farm, but can be up to four[]. Where land is less scarce, the suckers can be planted directly into their final location at a spacing of 2 - 3 metres between rows and 1 - 1.5 metres within rows[].

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