Here’s a new banana to add to the list of hardy species, Musa haekkinenii. This very new, compact-growing, species was first published in 2013, and named after Finnish Musa expert, Markku Häkkinen. Genetically, it’s a relative of Musa coccinea & Musa exotica, that hails from Phú Thọ Province of Northern Vietnam, where it was discovered in garden cultivation. Although it is reportedly wild further north in Vietnam, it has yet to be re-discovered in situ.

In the garden, it forms a dwarf 7′ tall x 10′ wide, freely offsetting specimen. For us the upright stalks of stunning scarlet red flowers begin in mid-September. So far, it has survived 11 degree F in ground with no protection. In Vietnam, it is referred to as Chuoi rung hoa do, which translates to wild red banana. We’ll do our best to make this available as soon as possible.