View Full Version : Mystery Banana...
cudadude013
06-01-2013, 04:01 AM
I stopped by a local nursery here in Bremerton, Wa and was very pleased to see some large banana plants in their greenhouse. I asked what kind they were and the owner told me they are "Ice Cream bananas". I was pretty excited to see that someone local was selling these and told them that I've been searching for the true Blue Java for quite a while, but the owner cut me off mid sentence and said, "No, no, no... I'm sorry. This is the Ice Cream Banana, not the other one you said (musa blue java)". I explained that they were the same thing and asked if they ever got fruit or noticed a blue coloration to the fruit. The owner didn't remember the color but said it fruits every year in the greenhouse and the employees all eat the bananas. She said they are very sweet. The story I got was that the owner received the plant 35 years ago and she's been selling pups ever since. She said the supplier called it an "Ice Cream banana". Can any of the pros on here help me confirm that?
Thanks!
sunfish
06-01-2013, 08:18 AM
I think they need a photo
scottu
06-01-2013, 11:37 PM
I double that!
robguz24
06-02-2013, 02:30 AM
Without more info, my take is that anyone who saw a real Ice Cream banana year after year with a bunch hanging for months that is obviously blue would recall that they are blue until ripe. So I'm guessing they were green, because nothing seemed unusual enough to remember. If your average person saw cuban reds developing for months even one season, they'd probably recall that they were red. I wouldn't ever describe the real Ice Cream as very sweet. I'd describe a Namwah as that. Could be totally wrong of course, and agree that photos, even when not in bloom would help.
Julian
06-02-2013, 02:25 PM
35 years ago??? Not sure how long Nam Wa has been on the US mainland. They were supposedly smuggled into Hawaii in the late 80's by this Cambodian farmer that lives in Kahuku.
so... just how many different cultivars go by the "Ice Cream" handle?
(I never use the name any more, sorta lost any meaning of "accuracy"...)
Abnshrek
06-03-2013, 01:11 PM
:pics:
Just saying.. :^)
cudadude013
06-04-2013, 05:19 PM
Sorry it took a bit to get the pictures uploaded. Thanks for all the quick replies!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270139_10201165814528373_1001900134_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/742_10201165817248441_1324475354_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/601279_10201165818728478_1250518914_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/972201_10201165820328518_1711807159_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/600718_10201165821448546_1417913493_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/971934_10201165822808580_1441559607_n.jpg
robguz24
06-04-2013, 05:29 PM
They certainly could be the real thing. They look very similar to mine, more like my ICs than my Namwahs. More lean & green.
caliboy1994
06-04-2013, 05:45 PM
Definitely could be it. We'll have to wait until it blooms to know for sure.
cudadude013
06-04-2013, 05:53 PM
Thanks, I'll post some new pics once they fruit :)
Illia
06-05-2013, 11:33 AM
Wow, this thread is exciting for me. 1) - There's a greenhouse nearby that actually has bananas and sells them, 2) there's another person nearby interested in them, and 3) that might be a real Ice Cream, wow.
Where is this place in Bremerton exactly? Wish I knew beforehand as I just drove past last weekend while picking up some livestock.
orangeong2
06-11-2013, 01:42 AM
this is ice cream species??
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