Log in

View Full Version : Help identifying banana in Hong Kong


El_Patron
06-18-2011, 03:16 AM
Hi

- I was "adventuring" in a part of Hong Kong island near where I live and came across about 15 banana trees/plants growing. Some of them have flowers (kind of a deep red) and some have young fruits. I told my wife and she said they may not be edible as I had indicated that once they looked ripe I would be back to harvest them. Can you advise how to identify the type and whether or not they are edible? My father in law also chipped in with some advice that even though they look ripe they still need some treatment after harvesting to make them edible - any advice appreciated.

Below are some picture of one flower and fruit bundle that I took from one of the plants. Click on the photos for a better view.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9RHhOZNvQds9HjzvILME5w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mci21tKhp28/TfQ9xplKAFI/AAAAAAAAAi4/2BhmyXvAbKY/s144/IMG_8323.JPG" height="96" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/102170488683081676426/Bananas?feat=embedwebsite">Bananas</a></td></tr></table>
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bTud_ppAOOe8XrZ5xBJvIQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O9BiDx7BIq8/TfQ9zA84KiI/AAAAAAAAAi8/Cnmm7Cofb9A/s144/IMG_8326.JPG" height="144" width="96" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/102170488683081676426/Bananas?feat=embedwebsite">Bananas</a></td></tr></table>
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pok65XcY5MhrXp_7KQA_-A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5B1IudN3mBg/TfQ9zlQ0jRI/AAAAAAAAAjE/gzu4Kroy2XY/s144/IMG_8324.JPG" height="96" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/102170488683081676426/Bananas?feat=embedwebsite">Bananas</a></td></tr></table>

You can also see the pics larger in my gallery

Banana Gallery - El_Patron Gallery (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=10326)

Markku Hakkinen
06-19-2011, 02:28 AM
Hi,
It is Musa balbisiana. I saw some of its wild populations around the Peak in last November. Also HK herbarium has recently collected its specimens around the islands.
Markku.

El_Patron
06-20-2011, 01:01 AM
Hi - thanks for identifying it for me. Is it edible and what do I need to do once the bananas are harvested? Do I harvest them green or what?

I am a total banana novice....

Markku Hakkinen
06-20-2011, 04:56 AM
Hi,
The fruits are not edible. They are full of seeds. Birds or bats have dispersed the seeds from the botanic garden's plants. There are few M.balbisiana plants.
Markku.