TROPICAL PLANT CATALOG |
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![]() 'Apple Mysore' | Musa sp. Family: Musaceae Banana, Bananier Nain, Canbur, Curro, Plantain Origin: Indo-Malaysian region reaching to Northern Australia ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Bananas are fast-growing herbaceous perennials arising from underground rhizomes. The fleshy stalks or pseudostems formed by upright concentric layers of leaf sheaths constitute the functional trunks. The true stem begins as an underground corm which grows upwards, pushing its way out through the center of the stalk 10-15 months after planting, eventually producing the terminal inflorescence which will later bear the fruit. Each stalk produces one huge flower cluster and then dies. New stalks then grow from the rhizome. Banana plants are extremely decorative, ranking next to palm trees for the tropical feeling they lend to the landscape. The banana inflorescence shooting out from the heart in the tip of the stem, is at first a large, long-oval, tapering, purple-clad bud. As it opens, the slim, nectar-rich, tubular, toothed, white flowers appear. They are clustered in whorled double rows along the the floral stalk, each cluster covered by a thick, waxy, hood like bract, purple outside and deep red within. The flowers occupying the first 5 - 15 rows are female. As the rachis of the inflorescence continues to elongate, sterile flowers with abortive male and female parts appear, followed by normal staminate ones with abortive ovaries. The two latter flower types eventually drop in most edible bananas. The ovaries contained in the first (female) flowers grow rapidly, developing parthenocarpically (without pollination) into clusters of fruits, called hands. The number of hands varies with the species and variety. The fruit (technically a berry) turns from deep green to yellow or red, and may range from 2-1/2 to 12 inches in length and 3/4 to 2 inches in width. The flesh, ivory-white to yellow or salmon-yellow, may be firm, astringent, even gummy with latex when unripe, turning tender and slippery, or soft and mellow or rather dry and mealy or starchy when ripe. The flavor may be mild and sweet or subacid with a distinct apple tone. The common cultivated types are generally seedless with just vestiges of ovules visible as brown specks. Occasionally, cross-pollination with wild types will result in a number of seeds in a normally seedless variety. Bananas require as much warmth as can be given them. Additional warmth can be given by planting next to a building. Planting next to cement or asphalt walks or driveways also helps. Wind protection is advisable, not for leaf protection as much as for protection of the plant after the banana stalk has appeared. During these last few months propping should be done to keep the plant from tipping or being blown over. Musa Praying Hands - produces perhaps the most unusual and distinctive of all banana fruits. Two adjacent hands of bananas are fused, giving the appearance of praying hands. This is not just a collectors item, the fruits are delicious ripe, containing a hint of vanilla flavor. When totally ripe, individual bananas can be carefully separated from each other. An excellent all-around plant with some wind resistance; it is very collectible. All eating bananas are triploid varieties of M. acuminata x bulbisiana. There are numerous cultivars of Cooking banana. Similar plants:
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4076 Musa - Banana Dwarf Cavendish Produces wonderful tasting fruit as does the others in the Cavendish sub-group. A vigorous grower with wide green leaves. One of the more common grown varieties in the USA. This particular cultivar has found great flavor in Florida as a backyard banana because of its ability to reliably produce fruit with a minimum of care by the homeowner. Cavendish are the most common variety of bananas grown by the hobbyist. The variety is very hardy and produces very large heads of fruit. The dwarf variety, which grows to 8 feet, is the most common backyard variety. The fruit is excellent tasting and can remain on the plant until ripe.RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS: SUNSHINE Robusta - Rapid Growth Booster Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster This item is certified for shipping to California. Most of our plants are certified for shipping to California, however, certain plants are not certified. Please do not order not-certified plants to California addresses. These plants may be added to CA certification in the future; please contact us for more information. Plant shipping to California requires a phytosanitary certificate. Its cost is included in S&H Close window |
3501 Musa - Banana Dwarf Namwah (Nam Weh) This dwarf banana from Thailand is the most commonly grown cultivar in that country. This delicious ladyfinger type dessert banana has been described as having the tastiest, sweetest, highest quality fruit.It grows rapidly even in cool areas (hardy zones 9-10). The sweet, thin-skinned bananas mature very quickly, even when the flower appears somewhat late in the season. In addition, because it's a dwarf, it makes a great container banana. It is drought resistant and vigorous. RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS: SUNSHINE Robusta - Rapid Growth Booster Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster This item is certified for shipping to California. Most of our plants are certified for shipping to California, however, certain plants are not certified. Please do not order not-certified plants to California addresses. These plants may be added to CA certification in the future; please contact us for more information. Plant shipping to California requires a phytosanitary certificate. Its cost is included in S&H Close window |
4205 Musa - Banana Ice Cream Ice Cream (Blue Java) cultivar grows 10-15 ft tall. Produces bunches weighting 40-60 lbs. Stout, straight fruit, 5-7 inches long and up to 2 inches wide. Skin bluish with silvery bloom when young, pale-yellow when ripe. Flesh is white and sweet with vanilla-like flavor. Eaten raw or cooked.RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS: SUNSHINE Robusta - Rapid Growth Booster Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster This item is certified for shipping to California. Most of our plants are certified for shipping to California, however, certain plants are not certified. Please do not order not-certified plants to California addresses. These plants may be added to CA certification in the future; please contact us for more information. Plant shipping to California requires a phytosanitary certificate. Its cost is included in S&H Close window |
4206 Musa - Banana Manzano (Apple Banana) Manzano(Apple, Silk) banana cultivar grows 10-12 ft tall. Produces bunches of 25-40 lbs. Plump, slightly curved fruits, 4-6 inches long. Skin has yellow color. Flesh is firm but pleasantly sub-acid when fully ripe, apple-scented and drier than most other banana. The most popular desert banana in tropics.RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS: SUNSHINE Robusta - Rapid Growth Booster Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster This item is certified for shipping to California. Most of our plants are certified for shipping to California, however, certain plants are not certified. Please do not order not-certified plants to California addresses. These plants may be added to CA certification in the future; please contact us for more information. Plant shipping to California requires a phytosanitary certificate. Its cost is included in S&H Close window |
5320 Musa arunachalensis - seeds The newly discovered species, named Musa arunachalensis, belongs to the subgenus Rhodochlamys.Rhodochlamys bananas are characterized by having erect or drooping inflorescences with fruit pointing towards the apex of the inflorescence. Most of them have relatively few fruits and are best known for their brightly colored bracts (small leaf at the base of a flower), a feature that makes them popular as ornamental plants. Musa arunachalensis is known from specimens found in West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. This species flowers and fruits from January to May and differs from other Musa species in the nature of its inflorescence. The color of the bract is reddish orange with a yellow tip. Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds In stock $7.00 |
5321 Musa balbisiana - seeds Musa balbisiana, or Musa cavendishi, is a species of wild banana native to eastern South Asia, northern Southeast Asia, and southern China. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas, along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to maroon. The fruit are between blue and green and contain seeds. Wild bananas used to be cooked and eaten or agriculturalists would not have developed the cultivated banana. Seeded Musa balbisiana fruit are called butuhan (with seeds) in the Philippines. The leaves of this banana variety are used in Thailand to wrap locally produced sweets, and the inflorescences for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 8 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5322 Musa balbisiana Atia Black - seeds This variety has much darker ornamental stems when mature and with its dark green leaves plus fast growth rate it makes an excellent ornamental from seed. It produces large fruits but these are full of seeds so inedible. Quite a tall plant to 18ft but can be cut back to over winter under glass. Quite a tough banana possibly as hardy at the root level as Musa skkimensis if the root crown is protected.Musa balbisiana is a species of wild banana native to eastern South Asia, northern Southeast Asia, and southern China. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas, along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to maroon. The fruit are between blue and green and contain seeds. Wild bananas used to be cooked and eaten or agriculturalists would not have developed the cultivated banana. Seeded Musa balbisiana fruit are called butuhan (with seeds) in the Philippines. The leaves of this banana variety are used in Thailand to wrap locally produced sweets, and the inflorescences for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine. Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 9 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5323 Musa balbisiana cv Sikkimensis - seeds Hardier cultivar of Musa balbisiana, or Musa cavendishi. Seed comes from plants growing in the lower foothills of the Himalayas so should be reasonably cold tolerant.It is a species of wild banana native to eastern South Asia, northern Southeast Asia, and southern China. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas, along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to maroon. The fruit are between blue and green and contain seeds. Wild bananas used to be cooked and eaten or agriculturalists would not have developed the cultivated banana. Seeded Musa balbisiana fruit are called butuhan (with seeds) in the Philippines. The leaves of this banana variety are used in Thailand to wrap locally produced sweets, and the inflorescences for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine. Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 5 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5326 Musa itinerans - seeds Yunnan banana, Musa itinerans is a wild banana from Southeast Asia with pink fruits, which are an important staple food for wild Asian elephants. It has very pretty purple fruit. It grows quickly with a pale bluish tint to the leaves and stems on delicate tall slim plants that add a touch of elegance to the garden border.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 5 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5327 Musa nagensium - seeds Giant banana from North-East India, flowers with lower bracts extremely flame scarlet. It is a species considered to be almost extinct in wild which was described from Naga Hills by D. Prain in the year 1903 in the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. It is an interesting ornamental banana with very dark purple-red pseudostems. Slightly cold hardy, growing to over 20ft with 10ft leaves. Very fast growing and new into cultivation.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds In stock $7.00 |
5328 Musa ocharcea - seeds Musa ochracea is native to tropical Asia (India). The specific epithet, "ochracea", is a Latin word meaning ochre-colored.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 10 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5330 Musa sikkimensis - seeds Musa sikkimensis, also called Darjeeling Banana or Sikkim Hardy Banana, is one of the highest altitude banana species and is found in Bhutan and India. The trunks can reach 14' in height with a diameter of 18". The leaf backs emerge a dazzling cinnamon-red. The pulp is scanty, dirty white to pale brownish-pink. Flowering and fruiting takes place from October to April.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 10 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5331 Musa thompsonii - seeds Musa thompsonii is a subtropical species native to the Himalayas in Bhutan and northeastern India. Its pseudostems can reach a height of up to 15 ft. However, young plants can easily be grown in containers and kept small by cutting back overgrown stems. Young plants of Musa thomsonii are extremely attractive having a slender, graceful habit. The pseudostems and long leaf stalks are heavily waxy and contrast well with the emerging leaves which are uniformly stained red below. The upper surface of the leaf is plain green, somewhat glossy and with blue or purple tones in the midrib channel. Not the fastest grower, Musa thomsonii is thought to be a low altitude plant, so is not likely to be particularly cold tolerant, but doesn't mind cool nights. The seedy fruit of Musa thomsonii is reported to have sweet flesh but the hard seeds would have to be removed, a rather laborious process, in order to render the flesh palatable.Banana sowing instructions: Abrade a side of each seed with a sand paper, then soak seeds for 24 hours before sowing 1/2" deep in a potting mix. Keep warm, between 70 and 85F and in a bright light. Germination can be erratic, usually taking between 2 to 12 months, sometimes longer, so do not discard the seed pots. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds 4 Packs in stock $7.00 |
5332 Musa velutina markkuana - seeds Pink Velvet Banana. An ornamental banana with bright pink colored fruits. The plant is very attractive as a garden ornamental and its popularity is enhanced by its relative hardiness for a banana. Reported to be hardy to 20F, though temperatures below 32F generally kill back foliage which will regrow when temperatures warm. While not dwarf in form, this species generally remains quite small and can flower and fruit in just over a year from seed. A small slender plant with narrow leaves to about 4ft, which flowers at a very young age (usually in the second year) producing a very attractive red and cream flower spike that stays reasonably upright. The pink fruits are covered with thin hairs, hence its alternative common name, the Hairy Banana. The novelty is the hand of small pink velvety bananas which form quite a talking point.Grown as an ornamental for its beautiful pink-fruits and large pink flowers. The fruits could be edible (from some sources), though they are quite seedy with minimal flesh. This banana suckers readily from the base to produce a nice clump for next year, or you can cut them off for additional plants to grow on. Musa velutina grows readily from fresh seed. Ordering seeds info RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES: Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade SUNSHINE-S - Seeds and cuttings booster Myco Mix - pro-mix with Mycorrhiza SUNSHINE Bombino - Young Plant Booster | Per pack: 6 seeds In stock $7.00 |
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