They will produce fruit, but the fruit is dry, and inedible.

The inflorescence is strange looking. Like a stack of cups with dentated rims stacked so that the teeth make a kind of diamond sort of pattern. It's strange, but not usually colored like musa species.

It will die after flowering as well. I've read you can get them to send up suckers if you damage the bud within the leaves (apparently this is how it's done in Ethopia with E. ventricosum)

The above followup was added by Barry on October 09, 2002 at 8:10 pm PST.

Barry is correct, if you let e. ventricosum fruit, it will die, and eventually send up new suckers.

Since the fruits are inedible, there is no point in letting it fruit. If you cut off the fruit stalk, the main stalk will not die, but start growing again and get even bigger. So unless you want to start from scratch with suckers, cut the fruiting stalk off.

Axel

The above followup was added by Axel on October 09, 2002 at 8:57 pm PST.

..can you keep one growing when you cut the stalk off?

The above followup was added by Barry on October 09, 2002 at 11:02 pm PST.

Thanks for the info! I will cut the flower stalk off even tho I have a bunch of other ensete's growing. I've not heard favorable reports about getting ensetes to make it through a winter, but I'm going to try by covering and keeping them dry.

The above followup was added by Cindy on October 10, 2002 at 11:03 am PST.

I have many ensetes for privacy on both sides of my house and don't want them to die.
I cut the flower on one, but it was dying so I cut the trunk down and left about a foot. Will it grow again? If so, how - from pups or will a shoot come out of the stump of the trunk? I cut out the flower of another and it doesn't seem to be doing anything - no new leaves, but not outwardly dying. Am I waiting too long to cut the flower? I cut it as soon as I notice it. Bottom line, I want the ensetes to keep growing without interruption. I depend on them for privacy! Can somebody give me the magic formula? I cut out the flower on a third plant last week. I hope it doesn't die!

The above followup was added by Carl from So Cal on July 23, 2004 at 3:32 pm PST.