Raja Puri????

[Akula]

Beginning to question whether my banana plant acquired from Just Fruits and Exotics is a raja puri as it eclipses 9' in pstem and puts out a new cigar leaf. I have been watching this plant like a hawk since it hit the 6' level and it just keeps going!!

It may be the Shaquille O'neal of RP's or more likely its a Goldfinger. That's okay by me since at this point I would rather have 25 lbs of GF's than 5 lbs of vienna sausages. At least that's my rationalization to make myself feel better. Haha.

I love the plant but can't shake the feeling that I'm about to find out someone switched my baby out at the maternity ward. I'm looking at you JF&E!!!

Based on reviewing just about every post/thread concerning RP and GF (thanks MediaHound, Meizzwang, Ty, Sbl, and others) pretty sure its a GF. I will wait till it throws a bloom to post up photos and get a positive ID since based on my research its pointless without a flower and rack photo.

If anybody has found out that their Raja Puri is really a Goldfinger sound off below!! Haha.

I'm preparing myself mentally to find out I have the fake Goldfinger in a month or so!!! Hahaha.

[edwmax]

I've bought a number of plants from them and haven't found any to be miss labeled.


My RajPuri got about 6 or 7 ft last year. ... However, many of their nana plants come from other banana nurseries. So if the plant is miss labeled it happened before they received it.

[Akula]

Latest photo of the plant at almost 11'. Its the plant on the right with the leaf collapsed horizontally to the left. Also photo of the pstem and a pup to help with ID. The pup has faded/ghosted wine stains on the leaf which is difficult to see. The pup on the right is less than a month old. Shot up like a rocket from the original corn. I think it might be a Goldfinger and not a RP.

[beam2050]

nice plants. but rajapuri is a small plant. p-stem heighth go's only maybe 8 ft. so I've read. I just purchased one this spring.

[Gabe15]

Looking more like ‘Orinoco’ to me, its not ‘Raja Puri’ or ‘Goldfinger’.

[Akula]

Thanks for taking a look Gabe!

[Akula]

What about this one? Its about 5 1/2 feet tall and emerged as a peeper in February when I uncovered my nanners so its about six months old. It was also sold to me by Just Fruit and Exotics as a Rajapuri.

The leaves are really large and are a dark green with an almost velvety texture vs. a slick texture. Its doesn't get as much sun as the others since its in the corner spot.

Thanks for any help!

[Akula]

Please find below the latest photos of the bunch that is developing from the plant in post no. 3 above which was tentatively identified by Gabe as an Orinoco. The plant is about 14' tall with a very straight pstem and more upward leaves vs. namwa which kinda hang to the side. Does it still look like an Orinoco? Thanks!

[Gabe15]

Well its not ‘Orinoco’, and still defintiely not ‘Raja Puri’ or ‘Goldfinger’. It looks interesting, and not immediately recognizable to me, but I have some ideas. Leave the male bud on and keep taking photos.

[Akula]

Thanks Gabe!

Here's the latest pic of the little sword sucker that was in thread no. 3 above. I cut down the larger sucker (water sucker?) on the right in thread no. 3 above since it looked weak compared to this one that's built like a brick ****house with a big wide base.

[edwmax]

The peduncle is not red on an Orinoco.

[edwmax]

Hummm .... Can this be a Green-Red mutant?

[Akula]

Update for ID:

[Akula]

After a bit of mess after the bananas came out the peduncle is pretty clean. The male flowers fall off about a day after the bract opens. One to three bracts can be at some stage of open simultaneously. The bunch sticks out about 45 degrees from the pstem. Water suckers have a bit of red on the leaves. Sword suckers grow like rockets with very narrow leaves and no red. Peduncle contains red coloring as can be seen. Plant fruited at about 13.5' of pstem.

Can anybody identify this banana plant? Thanks.

[Tytaylor77]

Wow very interesting! It looks like some FHIA hybrid to me. My first thought is fhia 3 sweetheart. It’s not a sweetheart though. But I keep looking and I see a GM Hybrid like fhia-17 or fhia-23 but those are guesses! I’m very excited to see what Gabe thinks!

[Akula]

Thanks Ty!

I made some more photos below late last week before I cut off the bell, pruned and then bagged the bunch.

[Tytaylor77]

Those look like GM male flowers to me. I still wanna see what Gabe thinks. But it could be a normal Musa Gros Michel? Or a GM Hybrid like I said. But it’s not fhia-02.

The pstem is just so green! Normally my GM have black but I was just looking close and I see some solid green ones.

[Akula]

Update!



The peduncle previously showed a great deal of red but has now turned green.

Thoughts on identification?

[Akula]

Wrapping up this thread with a photos of the fruit at maturity. I have only experienced store bought cavendish, namwa, and manzano to compare with this variety.

Fruit was harvested January 27th. The bunch was picked early due to frost risk so the fruit was not fully filled out. At time of harvest this bunch appeared more yelllow when compared to the namwa bunches harvested on the same day. Maybe 20% of the fruit could be described as curly. Skin was thick at maturity vs. namwa which was thin as paper. This bunch took greater than a month to turn yellow vs. the namwa bunch which took about two weeks. Individual hands seem to turn yellow a bit slower and spread out vs. namwa which turned yellow within a week and it was a race to eat them.

On average each finger was about three to four inches long and a bit squarish in shape since the fruit was not totally filled. My namwa fruit in comparison looked like stuffed pigs and was more rounded. Taste was pleasant and similar to store bought cavendish but a bit tastier and creamier with a hint of green apple maybe. Significantly less apple flavor than a manzano though and no starchiness. Good to eat when bit of green remained on the end and no brown spots unlike manzano. Looked like canned baby corn when peeled.

I have a bunch that made it through the winter from this variety but it only has two partial leaves in good condition. I also have a new flower emerging from another that has a single leaf and a partial leaf. Plus three others should throw a flower much earlier than last year so looking forward to seeing this fruit when fully filled.

That's all I got!!

Anybody have any guesses to the identity of this plant?

Thanks!

[beam2050]

why don't you put this plant in banana identification instead of main banana discussion? you might attract gabe and others for the id.