musa

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.

Fruit is similar in taste and size of common Chiquita banana However, yields more than twice the amount of fruit. Very easy to grow. Must be checked often when close to ripening because of very subtle changes in color. Reaches heights of 10'-12'. Developed in Honduras. Very strong plant with stout base, rapid growing, mostly green leaves. Excellent tasting fruit, with a tart note that's almost citrusy, slightly sub-acid, refreshing, gets 6-8 inches long or better. Medium size plant with broad leaves is disease resistant, wind and cool tolerant and is easy to grow. Cold tolerant and disease resistant. Developed to be commercial export banana. Outstanding fruit production. It can support 100 lbs. of fruit without propping and produce a raceme in under a year. It is best ripened on the plant. The texture of the fruit at maturity is rather softer than Cavendish. Fruit will not turn brown when diced. It is good eaten fresh or used in cooking. Overall this variety takes longer to mature than most others but also seems the most cold tolerant. It produces good crops even in soils of marginal quality or areas of lower humidity. It is notably more resistant to rot in cold, wet winter soils but still needs rich, well drained soils in order to survive.

Gran Nain is the true Chiquita banana, the main product of Chiquita Brands International. Tree is 8' when mature and produces large bunches of bananas.

Kokopois a fantastic orange-pupl, short-season banana plant that grows quickly. Bloom to harvest time is 5 to 6 weeks, which makes it perfect for that last-minute tropical harvest. If planted in the spring, it will produce fruit by the summer. In addition, it makes a great indoor banana plant, growing fairly thin and lightweight compared to other Musa varieties. This cultivar originates in Papua New Guinea, where almost half of the population is self-sustained. That’s a good testament to the hardiness, success, and versatility of the Kokopo banana. The Kokopo banana fruit is unusual in that it holds orange pulp, which is a sign of high vitamin A and beta carotene content.

Banana Lakatan (also spelled Lacatan, Lactan) is one of the most common banana cultivars in the Philippines, desirable for desert bananas because of their sweet taste, aroma, and firm texture when ripe.

Due to its compactness Little Prince is ideally suited as a houseplant and as a tropical accent in the garden or container. Little Prince is an extremely dwarf banana, selected for its compact size and thick foliage. The maximum height for this variety is between 24 and 30 inches, which makes Little Prince the shortest banana available on the market (compare to‘Dwarf Cavendish at 8-10 feet, and Super Dwarf Cavendish at 4-6 feet). The thick green foliage also allows for improved resistance to leaf shred caused by winds - a common problem for all bananas. A true indoor/outdoor plant: best for gardeners who bring the plant into the home or conservatory for the winter.

Truly Tiny grows only 2-3 ft tall in a pot and 4-5 ft in the ground. It is every gardeners dream if you have limited space or want to grow edible landscape in containers!
The fruit are 4-5" long, nice and full, and have very distinctive pineapple flavor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Red dwarf banana, a newly described rare endemic from the cold tropical mountains of Yunnan. This species is well suited as a pot plant. Its dramatically red flowers make a real difference to other banana species.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gros Michel, often known as Big Mike, is an export cultivar of banana and was, until the 1950s, the main variety grown. The physical properties of the Gros Michel make it an excellent export produce; its thick peel makes it resilient to bruising during transport and the dense bunches that it grows in make it easy to ship.

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.