The one Julian mentions in Hawaii is definitely not a Silk subgroup banana (I've had & grown them here, too).
The different cultivars that are referred to as Manzano in the Caribbean are definitely not all from the same subgroup.
N. W. SIMMONDS -
"Apple (Manzano). This is another unfortunate name,
as it is commonly applied to several AB type varieties having subacid fruits.
In Hawaii it was applied to a variety thought to be the Silk Fig
(of Trinidad, Apple of Jamaica, an AB-type triploid) but sometimes
also to Brazilian, a distinct although not dissimilar variety."
This seems to be a common error worldwide.
Notes on Banana Varieties in Hawaii
This might seem silly but it's very true...
It's important to include a Silk Manzano, when comparing a cultivar to a Silk Manzano.
After comparing a Silk Manzano to the Manzano you & Julian have described,
homeowners here simply remove it and replace it with a Silk Manzano.
Other members are growing this cultivar, so we'll see...
Bananas in the Silk subgroup have thin peels when fully green,
on average it's about 1 mm less than Cavendish varieties.
Quote:
Originally Posted by venturabananas
The one Julian mentions in Hawaii is definitely a Silk subgroup banana (I've had them there, too). The Manzano I've had in the Caribbean are definitely Silk subgroup bananas also. They might be different cultivars within the same subgroup, or not. There's something about Hawaii that they just don't do well. They are often chalky, have hard lumps, and split. (Aside from the splitting, the Manzanos you can buy in the mainland US shipped in from Latin America under the Turbana label are also often chalky and lumpy.) Otherwise, the taste of the Hawaiian Manzano and the Caribbean Manzano is the same. I'd disagree with Brazilian tasting more like apples. To me, they have more of a pineapple taste, and Manzano has more of an apple taste. Brazilian is more tart, too. The two are easy to tell apart: bananas in the Silk subgroup have very thin peels when fully ripe, whereas Brazilian/Dwarf Brazilian have thicker peels on par with Cavendish varieties. Keith, you may have a really awesome Silk cultivar (a local mutation?), since I think you mentioned that you have two different ones that are Manzano, and one was better than the other.
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