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Richard
12-13-2011, 08:46 PM
A customer of mine returned from India last month with an unexpected gift -- a banana pup from a Virupaksha Temple. She says it is a seedless banana. It is now sporting a new leaf, so perhaps it will survive at my location. There's not much to id from yet.

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/image_gallery/Musa_Virupaksha_486x648.jpg

sunfish
12-13-2011, 08:48 PM
A customer of mine returned from India last month with an unexpected gift -- a banana pup from a Virupaksha Temple. She says it is a seedless banana. It is now sporting a new leaf, so perhaps it will survive at my location. There's not much to id from yet.

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/image_gallery/Musa_Virupaksha_486x648.jpg

:woohoonaner:

nannerfunboi
12-13-2011, 08:52 PM
very cool richard!! new plants are like candy for us.. lol
i have several amorphs now.. with winter here in utah
and more "free time" ive been doing general searches online
for unusual plants id like to try..
still would love to find a source of the big growing nanner plants
the search continues.. :)
good luck with your new addition!!!
:goteam:

RAINFOREZT
05-22-2012, 03:30 AM
how is Your temple banana doing?

trebor
05-22-2012, 09:23 AM
That's really pretty neat :) I got no friends coming back from over seas lately .. Looks like it on its way to becoming a "Richtemple Banana" or "Musa Hermitian"
It will be interesting to see what it is
Again ! Great Gift.....

Richard
05-22-2012, 11:19 AM
how is Your temple banana doing?

Doing well thanks! :08:

saltydad
05-22-2012, 01:09 PM
Doing well thanks! :08:

Pics please! :drum:

Richard
05-22-2012, 05:51 PM
Pics please! :drum:

Going in the ground soon, then pics!

RAINFOREZT
05-24-2012, 06:03 AM
Richard I think the temple banana you got may be Musa spp. Pahari Kela

Musa spp. Pahari Kela (Hill Banana, Virupaksha). Sacred fruit of Virupaksha temple and ceremonies. Pahari means: of the mountain. Hardy to 25 deg-F. Fruit will have large, hard seeds unless male flowers (pollen) removed from plant and vicinity. Taste is more acidic than Chiquita banana, and has higher moisture content in fruit. Very susceptible to Fusarium wilt, import restrictions. Safely propagated by tissue culture.
I think I read this on jack daw's post.
http://www.bananas.org/f15/musa-pahari-kela-hill-banana-8499-2.html

Richard
05-24-2012, 01:45 PM
Richard I think the temple banana you got may be Musa spp. Pahari Kela

Musa spp. Pahari Kela (Hill Banana, Virupaksha). Sacred fruit of Virupaksha temple and ceremonies. Pahari means: of the mountain. Hardy to 25 deg-F. Fruit will have large, hard seeds unless male flowers (pollen) removed from plant and vicinity. Taste is more acidic than Chiquita banana, and has higher moisture content in fruit. Very susceptible to Fusarium wilt, import restrictions. Safely propagated by tissue culture.
I think I read this on jack daw's post.
http://www.bananas.org/f15/musa-pahari-kela-hill-banana-8499-2.html

Thanks for the guess. The text in Jack's post originated in Chiranjit Parmar's Fruitipedia (http://www.fruitipedia.com/). We will have a better idea of what I'm growing when it flowers and fruits.

G.W.
05-28-2012, 01:02 PM
maybe THIS is the REAL Ice Cream LOL !!!

I''m SURE it would survive at MY location :waving:

Richard
05-28-2012, 01:22 PM
I'm certain that the Musa I've received is not Ice Cream / Blue Java, and I'm fairly certain it is not Hill Banana. India is a large subcontinent. There are many temples from many sects from north to south, and likewise there are many "temple bananas". Some of them are just "bananas planted by the temple" and others are cultivars of historical significance. As it matures, flowers, and fruits it will be interesting to see what it might be.

:08:

G.W.
05-28-2012, 01:44 PM
that was a joke

RAINFOREZT
05-28-2012, 06:08 PM
I'm certain that the Musa I've received is not Ice Cream / Blue Java, and I'm fairly certain it is not Hill Banana. India is a large subcontinent. There are many temples from many sects from north to south, and likewise there are many "temple bananas". Some of them are just "bananas planted by the temple" and others are cultivars of historical significance. As it matures, flowers, and fruits it will be interesting to see what it might be.

:08:
There is a temple banana in my wanted list. That is the real temple banana.
I hope you got that Nivedya kadali..or Pooja Kadali
Watch this video, You can see a special type of banana that used in ceartain temples.They are called Nivedya kadali or Pooja kadali. I heard they are very good bananas. A group of women in India is cultivating this banana for supply to Guruvayoor Temple.
Cultivation of Kadali banana by a Kudumbasree womens self Help group for supply to Guruvayoor temple - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0GdzRXDBXc)

Richard
05-28-2012, 06:47 PM
Thanks for the video!

There is a temple banana in my wanted list. That is the real temple banana.

There is a large population of professional people from India here in San Diego. Many are enthusiastic gardeners and I have met quite a few through my local plant sales. Through discussions with these folks, I am convinced that there is not one "real temple banana" but several. Even in India you will not find agreement among peoples from the northwest, central west coast, central, south, and central east coast, and northeast. There are zealous people who duel over this question, particularly in the far south.

If you perform a google search targeting Tamal Nadu Agricultural University, you might come across a few articles describing the genetic groups of bananas found at various temples throughout the southern half of India (multiple types per site).

RAINFOREZT
05-28-2012, 07:28 PM
maybe THIS is the REAL Ice Cream LOL !!!

I''m SURE it would survive at MY location :waving:

Musa Neymannan is the real Ice cream. They also called Ash banana or Chara Poovan. In Some time they use that in temple ..if there is no other banana is available.
There is no such thing called temple banana.


Learn2Grow (http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/musa-ney-mannan-ney-mannan-a-b-b-group/)

sunfish
10-29-2012, 10:04 AM
Pic of Temple Banana that Richard gave me. Any guesses

<a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/musanamwah/?action=view&amp;current=006-22.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/musanamwah/006-22.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

venturabananas
10-29-2012, 12:22 PM
What do the cigar leaves look like? Any pink/purple on the undersides like Mysore? In this photo is looks pretty Mysore-y with the pink/purple petioles with black streaks.

sunfish
10-29-2012, 12:57 PM
No purple on new leaves

RAINFOREZT
10-29-2012, 01:11 PM
A customer of mine returned from India last month with an unexpected gift -- a banana pup from a Virupaksha Temple. She says it is a seedless banana.

That temple is not too far from Mysore.
Some pics from out side the temple.

Banana sellers, Virupaksha temple, Hampi | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallcorbet/3491946270/)

Selling bananas outside Virupaksha Temple (http://www.neildonovan.net/2007/12/22/india-day-7-hampi/selling-bananas-outside-virupaksha-temple/)

Girl selling bananas in front of the Virupaksha temple | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritz_da_kat/2259446183/)

Mahanandi » Flavors of Life ~ Banana Vendor (http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2008/01/19/flavors-of-life-banana-vendor/)

Banana seller near Virupaksha temple ; Hampi ; Karnataka ; India - DINODIA PHOTO LLP-Largest & best Indian stock images,International pictures & Editorial photographs (http://www.dinodia.com/ImageBigView.asp?ImageID=224147)

Outside Virupaksha Temple photo - Mary Ann Campbell photos at pbase.com (http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/image/54431557)

54431717 photo - Mary Ann Campbell photos at pbase.com (http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/image/54431717)

Bananas are for elephant inside temple photo - Mary Ann Campbell photos at pbase.com (http://www.pbase.com/mcampbell/image/54431559)

venturabananas
10-29-2012, 01:51 PM
No purple on new leaves

No idea then. But those photos of the bananas being sold outside the temple sure look like Mysore. Thanks for finding those photos Rainforezt.

sunfish
10-29-2012, 02:17 PM
Is there only 1 temple in India ?

sunfish
10-29-2012, 02:30 PM
Banana production in India (http://www.krishisewa.com/articles/2011/banana.html)

Richard
10-29-2012, 02:39 PM
Is there only 1 [Virupaksha] temple in India ?

No.

Dalmatiansoap
10-29-2012, 02:43 PM
http://www.bananas.org/f2/looking-info-musa-virupakshi-8861.html

sunfish
10-29-2012, 02:58 PM
No.

Hey Richard

sunfish
07-10-2013, 08:51 PM
<a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/user/musanamwah/media/015-2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/musanamwah/015-2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 015-2.jpg"/></a>

banana13
07-19-2013, 08:26 PM
<a href="http://s950.photobucket.com/user/musanamwah/media/015-2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/musanamwah/015-2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 015-2.jpg"/></a>

COming along nicely, compared to the first pic.

sunfish
07-19-2013, 08:56 PM
COming along nicely, compared to the first pic.

Yes kind of surprised me how well it is doing. This poor thing sat in the same 2gal. container for over a year

venturabananas
07-20-2013, 10:20 AM
Yes kind of surprised me how well it is doing. This poor thing sat in the same 2gal. container for over a year

It's amazing how they can just sit in suspended animation in small pots. I still have one of those blue java I got from you two years ago in a pot. It's put out 12 leaves in 2 years and is only slightly bigger than when I got it from you. The one I put in the ground this year (finally) is starting to pick up speed and looking good, though still small. It's made 6 leaves in the time the other made only 2.

Rebel
07-20-2013, 10:34 AM
Banana production in India (http://www.krishisewa.com/articles/2011/banana.html)

Thanks for sharing this information.

Richard
03-27-2014, 03:57 PM
Here's my Temple Banana in a 25-gallon pot sporting a few pups.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=55396&size=1

:abajo:

crazy banana
04-02-2014, 07:57 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=55787&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=55787&ppuser=13376)

Finally the pups I have received from Richard last fall are happy and healthy in the ground and growing new leaves already.

crazy banana
05-08-2014, 01:08 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=55951&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=55951&limit=recent)

:woohoonaner: One of my temple bananas already sending out a pup :woohoonaner:

Richard
06-15-2015, 05:43 PM
Overnight my "Temple" banana unfurled a flag leaf. It's about 1/3 the length of prior leaves. The pstem height is about 9.5 feet and the base diameter is 10 inches.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58062&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58062)

crazy banana
06-15-2015, 06:57 PM
Yeah, congrats. Perfect timing. Looks like a pre-flag and pretty soon we will be able to narrow the variety down.
My first bunch never developed because of cold. Second inflorescence choked, hope yours will be fine.

Richard
06-22-2015, 09:12 PM
The bud.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58128&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58128)

Going Bananas
06-23-2015, 01:58 AM
Nice goin Richard!
But is that the same TB
you pictured in 03/14 post #32?
Is it still in the 25G pot?
Or is it the pup of the 1 you pictured?

Like PRGiant mentioned on another post,
the Hua Moa and Tigua are sporting less
than 300 days from plant to harvest.
I ordered tc of Mona Lisa and the specs
from plant to harvest is 311days.
Are these 3 the top for speed from plant to harvest?
When they say plant...is that from corm or tc I wonder?

I dont know if anyone has started a thread
on the top 5 fastest to harvest.
I sure would like to know since many of the newbies
Im sure would like to taste their own naners...
that didnt sound right!

You know what I mean!
Cheers!

Richard
06-23-2015, 10:42 AM
Like PRGiant mentioned on another post, the Hua Moa and Tigua are sporting less
than 300 days from plant to harvest.
Don't expect tropical maturation rates in southern CA.

... is that the same TB
you pictured in 03/14 post #32?
Is it still in the 25G pot?
Or is it the pup of the 1 you pictured?

Same plant, in the ground. Here it is (2nd plant) in Feb. 2015.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57487&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57487)

Going Bananas
06-23-2015, 11:26 AM
Looking gooooood!

That side of the house will get shaded
and cool breezes in no time yea?
Are those all temple bananas??
Nice planters as well. Are those going to be
covered up with mulch to the top edge?

Going Bananas
06-23-2015, 11:39 AM
BTW re growth rates and speed of growth...

Although the growth rate listed in official publications
is for tropical conditions, a fast maturing species
would still be the fastest grower relatively
where ever youre growing in a 10B or 6A zone?
IE. Although the article might say 291 days for a tigua,
it would still be faster from plant to harvest as compared
to an ice cream or any slowly maturing species?
That 291 days might be 3 years in a 6A but comparatively,
the other species might take 6 years as opposed to 3 years per se?

What do you think?

Richard
06-23-2015, 01:58 PM
That side of the house will get shaded and cool breezes in no time yea?
That's the south side of the house.
Are those all temple bananas??
Just the second one.
Nice planters as well. Are those going to be covered up with mulch to the top edge?
They're already deep in mulch.
BTW re growth rates and speed of growth...
Although the growth rate listed in official publications
is for tropical conditions, a fast maturing species
would still be the fastest grower relatively
where ever youre growing in a 10B or 6A zone?

No. The interruption of our winter (or taking them indoors in colder zones) can cause several changes in the maturation cycle of the more tropic-specific varieties. In some cases the charts you've seen will be turned on their heads in our zone with some of the faster tropic-specific breeds being slower than some of the near-tropic breeds; e.g. Namwa.

Going Bananas
06-23-2015, 03:10 PM
Really?
I didnt know that!
So for 10A SoCal...
what would be the top 5
fastest to mature/harvest?

In parity to this situation is the Taste Report.
So many variables from soil quality to growing conditions
such as zone differences to organoleptic/subjective
differences/preferences among individuals.

Maybe thats why people on this site diss and degrade
store bought cavendish so much because we use it
as a measuring stick to judge every species of banana to it.
Everyone has tried the common store bought banana
and we use it as a measuring stick to judge everything else.

Its just too bad some people take offense or lets say passionate
when we try to make a judgement call on a taste report.

Just a thought!
Cheers

Richard
06-23-2015, 03:58 PM
Really?
I didnt know that!
So for 10A SoCal...
what would be the top 5
fastest to mature/harvest?...
There are other threads on that topic. On this thread I would prefer to discuss the Temple Banana I obtained 4-5 years ago.

As stated back in the day, it came in a suitcase from a customer of mine visiting her home town in India. I don't know which Temple it is from, and as these things often go there are hundreds of temples in India each touting that they have the original Temple Banana -- and all of those bananas are of different strains and/or breeds. Note that they are cultivated for offerings, not commercial sale or production so we're not predicting fabulous taste or copious fruit. A few members of this board have grown out and fruited pups from this plant. This is the first time I know of that it has occurred mid-season when the chances of getting a good tasting crop (at least for this zone) are possible. I will be taking pictures of the flowers etc. as it develops so perhaps we'll be able to discern what genetic group this "Temple Banana" is from.

PR-Giants
06-23-2015, 07:07 PM
Our resident banana expert in SoCal 'Sunfish' did this a while back, the plant, bunch, fruit, & male bud were all consistent with cultivar Manzano - Silk subgroup AAB. The photo of the fruit were perfect quality.

A few members of this board have grown out and fruited pups from this plant. This is the first time I know of that it has occurred mid-season when the chances of getting a good tasting crop (at least for this zone) are possible. I will be taking pictures of the flowers etc. as it develops so perhaps we'll be able to discern what genetic group this "Temple Banana" is from.

Richard
06-24-2015, 01:30 PM
The bud hangs almost straight down, with a violet tip (my phone is poor on colors). The leaf ribs have a narrow pink edging.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58136&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58136)

Richard
06-28-2015, 11:46 AM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58197&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58197)

Richard
07-04-2015, 04:23 PM
There's 5 hands of 11 female fingers on this bunch. At the current stage, the average finger is 4.25 inches long and 1.25 inches wide.

The male flowers are pale.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58256&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58256)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58255&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58255)

Lau
07-04-2015, 04:39 PM
There's 5 hands of 11 female fingers on this bunch. At the current stage, the average finger is 4.25 inches long and 1.25 inches wide.

The male flowers are pale.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58256&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58256)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=58255&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=58255)

Beautiful :goteam:

Richard
10-06-2015, 03:48 PM
The fruits are now all plumped out and the bunch will be ready for hanging in a week or two, depending on how cool the nights are this month.

The typical finger is 6" x 1 5/8". Based on what I've observed on this plant and others along with comparisons to the Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Allpages), I believe it is from the Pome AAB group.

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/imgs/temple-banana-bunch-2015.jpg

Richard
10-19-2015, 11:19 PM
I hung them up in the garage tonight. There's 5 full hands of 11 fingers plus a few extras. Bunch weight - about 40 lbs. Compare that to my Namwa bunch of 159 fingers at 60 lbs. The nearly all the fingers are rounded, not angular. Any appearance otherwise in the image is due to coloration and not shape. Note the finger in the bottom right with the shiny spots -- this is due to latex dripping from the fresh cut of the peduncle. The proof will be in the taste. So far, I'm one proud papa!

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/imgs/temple-banana-bunch-2015-garage.jpg

Mark Dragt
10-19-2015, 11:51 PM
Bunch looks good! Tast report soon?

Richard
10-20-2015, 03:24 PM
Bunch looks good! Tast report soon?

As soon as they ripen.

akravindran
10-21-2015, 01:31 AM
You're right, Richard. There's no such thing as a 'Temple Banana'. Bananas are an important part of rituals in Hindu temples, so almost every temple - small or large - will have a banana seller close by. A large number of varieties are used for worship - it's more about the banana, less about the variety. If this is for the Virupaksha Temple in a state called Karnataka, there's a good likelihood that it's of the Yelakki, or Poovan.

Unrelated: what does a Hermitian Operator do? :)

Richard
10-21-2015, 11:19 AM
... If this is for the Virupaksha Temple in a state called Karnataka, there's a good likelihood that it's of the Yelakki, or Poovan.

Yes, but I am cautious.

Unrelated: what does a Hermitian Operator do? :)

Like addition and multiplication, a Hermitian Operator is commutative. They are not used in arithmetic but rather in vector and tensor calculus.

Richard
10-24-2015, 11:22 PM
Some of the fingers have begun to ripen. The skins on some of these have split long ways, running most of the length of the fruit and open to about 1/8th inch. I've cut those fingers off and put them in a paper bag to finish ripening. They are heavy: 7-8 ounces a piece. Too early for a taste report - my visual and tactile senses tell me they would taste like chalk.

Richard
10-27-2015, 12:19 PM
I've tasted a few of these now. They are an improvement on the taste of grocery store Cavendish, but otherwise similar in taste. The mere density of each finger is astounding -- they are heavy for their size. You can't help but notice as you hold and eat one.

The skins do split as they ripen. The photo below is from last night and you can discern a few splits in the upper left. This morning all the yellow fingers have splits.

Overall its been an interesting cultivar to grow. I'm going to pot up the pups for anyone who'd like to try it. Please don't ask me to ship them -- I won't. Nor will I sell them. They're available 1st come 1st serve, any extras will be donated to my local CRFG chapter. In their place I'm going to plant a Gros Michel I obtained from sddarkman.

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/imgs/temple-bunch-2015-10-ripening.jpg