English name: Edible Canna
Latin name: banana taro
Cannaceae, Musa.
Origin: Native to South America and other places, it has been introduced to China for cultivation. There are no flowers in most parts of our country. Its leaves are slightly thinner than canna, its color is slightly lighter, its plants are tall, its roots are fat, and it is not easy to bloom. Banana lotus root does not hibernate in southern China, but hibernates in most areas such as North China and Northeast China in winter. Dig out the roots after autumn and save them for the winter. Native to the West Indies and South America. It is cultivated all over the south of the Yangtze River basin in China.
Appearance characteristics of banana taro;
Banana taro is a perennial herb with developed rhizomes, many branches, thick stems, strong and upright, which can reach 2-3 meters. Leaves alternate, oblong, 30-60 cm long and 10-20 cm wide, with green leaves, purple edges and nearly purple leaf sheaths. Racemes are solitary at the top of stem, calyx lanceolate, light green purple, corolla tube apricot yellow, lobes apricot yellow and purple, and 2-3 staminodes red. Cultivation. Take the rhizome and eat it; Extracting starch to make wine, and making vermicelli; The fibers of stems and leaves can be used to make paper.
Banana taro has become a new raw material source of high-value starch in Asia. Banana taro starch has the advantages of large particle size, low gelatinization temperature, good paste transparency, high amylose content, good film-forming property, large molecular weight, close to potato starch, and good application characteristics. The development and utilization of banana taro mainly focuses on the production of starch, and the development of starch deep-processed products and food items such as vermicelli and vermicelli. Banana taro starch is also widely used in more fields. Generally, 2.5 kg of banana taro starch can produce 0.5 kg of monosodium glutamate, as well as starch sugars such as glucose and sorghum maltose for oral administration and injection, and various non-staple foods such as lotus root starch. In textile industry, compared with grain starch sizing, banana taro starch sizing has the characteristics of high adhesion and good smoothness. Banana taro starch can also be used in papermaking, shoemaking, hat making, clothing and stationery. In the difficult period of three years, banana taro was once promoted as a wild alternative food by the government under the situation of serious food shortage in the whole country.
Take the rhizome and eat it; Extracting starch to make wine, and making vermicelli; The fibers of stems and leaves can be used to make paper.
Biological characteristics of banana taro
Canna taro monocotyledonous plants, cannaceae plants. Perennial herbs. The rhizome is developed and massive. Stems erect and thick, purple. The leaf pitch is round. The top is green and the back is usually purple. Racemes are scattered, solitary or forked, with broad leaf sheaths at the base, usually two, bright red. Capsule has three leaves, like a tumor, and contains dozens of seeds. Like warmth and drought tolerance, strong adaptability. Reproduce with tubers. This plant is about 2 to 3 meters high. The leaves are oblong, 30 cm to 60 cm long and 18 cm to 20 cm wide, with green surface and purple halo on the back and leaf margin. There is a broad involucre at the base of inflorescence, which blooms from August to 10, but does not bloom in most parts of China. Its leaves are slightly thinner than canna, its color is slightly lighter, its plants are tall, its roots are fat, and it is not easy to bloom. Banana lotus root does not hibernate in southern China, but hibernates in most areas such as North China and Northeast China in winter. Dig out the roots after autumn and save them for the winter. Native to the West Indies and South America. It is cultivated all over the south of the Yangtze River basin in China.
Use of banana taro
Canna taro has a wide range of uses, lush stems and leaves, difficult burning of leaves, long leaf viewing period and simple management. It is a good material to beautify the courtyard. Banana taro integrates edible, medicinal, feeding and brewing, and has a market development prospect. Strong resistance, slight occurrence of pests and diseases, especially in hilly and mountainous areas, the products are not or rarely polluted by harmful substances, which can meet the requirements of nutrition, safety and hygiene. Its rhizome is also rich in starch, which is an excellent raw material for starch processing.
Cultivation of banana taro
Banana taro likes sunshine and high temperature environment, and has strong adaptability to soil, but it will grow more luxuriantly in moist and fertile deep soil. Because it avoids waterlogging, choose a place with plenty of sunshine and good drainage when planting. When planting in spring, foot manure (manure, compost, compound fertilizer) must be applied, the spacing between clumps is about 1 m, and the covering thickness is about10cm. Because its plants are tall, it is necessary to give enough water during the growth period, and liquid fertilizer should be applied 3 to 4 times during the whole growth period. Pay attention to watering and loosening the soil in time after fertilization, so as to facilitate the development of roots and the flourishing of plants. After the first frost in North China, when most of its stems and leaves turn yellow, the vine leaves on the ground are cut off, leaving only the roots of 10 cm to 15 cm. Dig out the roots, dry them properly for a few days, then bury them in dry sand and overwinter at around 10℃. You can check it once a month. If it is piled indoors and the air is too dry, you can spray water on the dry sand appropriately, but be careful not to rot the roots. Generally, the rootstock can be cut off with a sharp knife in spring, and 2 ~ 3 buds are left in each cluster (plant ash or lime powder can be coated at the incision) for rameting.