i have a plant and i need to kno the name of it?

Question

aghhhh i need help!!! i have a plant that was given by a friend who didnt want it and she said that its the cousin of the banana family. the stem of it is about a yard long or so and the flower growing is purple-ish red-ish color. i need to kno the name of it so i can take care of it. hopefully somebody out there kno what im talking about
thnx

Answer 1

Banana are in the Musaceae family, Musa genus. Musa velutina are the dwarf, inedible red fruiting ones that are grown in containers. There are cold hardy ones that do not produce edible fruit. Musa basjoo is another.
http://worldplants.com/musa.htm

If she was referring to the order then it could be one of many familiar plants like ginger, cardamom, & turmeric of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family, besides banana of the Musaceae or banana family, along with arrowroot of the Marantaceae or arrowroot family.


The Heliconia is a family member that produces showy flowers. http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi
http://www.banana-tree.com/catalog~category~4.cfm
Growing guide to heliconias
http://www.banana-tree.com/How_to_grow_heliconia_Tip.cfm

Strelitziaceae (Bird of Paradise) is another family member.
This is a compilation of how to grow Bird of Paradise
http://www.clemson.edu/charleston/local/bird/brdpards.htm
http://www.agrotropical.andes.com/generinfo.html
http://www.floridata.com/ref/S/stre_reg.cfm

Ginger or Zingiber are great houseplants if you have the room.
http://www.plant-group.com/ginger/zingiber.html
http://www.floristsreview.com/main/october/freshflower.html

Arrowroot is another common houseplant sometimes called a prayer plant.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/houseplants/types/maranta.html


The garden Cannas belong in this order also
http://www.stokestropicals.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=11&gclid=CKHswLbo4Y0CFSmkhgodUh6MYg

Answer 2

I'm thinking Bird of Paradise from your description...most of the banana family require lots of water, mulched soil, and some basic fertilizer regiment. They are also very invasive and grow very large.

Answer 3

Plantain? That is a cousin of the Banana...

Bird of Paradise is also related to the Banana, and it's flower is orange and purple...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45068501@N00/14890964/

I'd need more info to properly classify it...

If it is a Bird of Paradise, then your friend is very lucky to have one. That is a beautiful plant...