Chinese Yellow Banana, Golden Lotus Banana - rare variety of ornamental banana from China. It is closely related to bananas, having been once included as a species in both Musa and Ensete. It typically grows to 3-5' tall, featuring a conical trunk-like pseudostem, upright paddle-like gray-green leaves and distinctive lotus-like flowers (2-3 per plant) that grow erect from the top of the pseudostem. Flowers bloom throughout the summer. Each upright inflorescence (8-12" long terminal panicle) consists of a cluster of yellow tubular flowers subtended by broad, stiff, waxy, yellow bracts. Flowers resemble a lotus just prior to flowering, hence the common name of golden lotus banana.
