View Full Version : Beautiful pictures of mystery bananas after a Florida rain
I’ve been adding photos every day or so of my mystery bananas hoping someone has an idea of what they may “or may not “ be. Today we had an inch of warm Florida rain this morning and I got some lovely photos of the blooms on each plant with a softer light than usual. I’m loving the new iPhone photography upgrades. Hoping these details will narrow down the options. To recap the shortest is about 5’2 and very similar to the one I posted that bloomed in November. The taller (11-12 ft) is supposed to be a blue java. Both tc from green earth. Thanks
https://pandi77.smugmug.com/Mystery-bananas-/Mystery-bananas-
sputinc7
07-11-2018, 08:51 PM
If I didn't know better, I would think the one you call goldfinger was an sh-3640 (High Noon)... Just an educated guess based on the growth pattern, petioles and pseudostem coloration... I have yet to raise a goldfinger to fruit and there are many subtle variations within the goldfinger family it may very well be one.
edwmax
07-11-2018, 09:31 PM
The bunch shown labeled goldfinger (fhia 1?), end of line 9, is not. The fingers shown has 3 ribs for a triangular shape like an Orinoco.
The FHIA-1 goldfinger has 4 ribs (may be 5 ???) ... The FHIA sh-3640 fingers has 6 ribs.
sputinc7
07-11-2018, 11:46 PM
Never raised Orinoco myself but in all the pics I have seen they do not have red petioles.
edwmax
07-12-2018, 08:50 AM
Never raised Orinoco myself but in all the pics I have seen they do not have red petioles.
I do have Orinoco plants. ... However, I only compared the fingers to the Orinoco. My Orinocos are all Green. ... I don't know if the 3 rib characteristics is only in the Bluggoe (ABB) group or not. ... Apparently not.
I make use of the 'Germplasm Information System': https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/ and info provided by the different plant banks menu (in Collections).
The USDA-Tars has a Dw Orinoco which clearly shows the 3 ribs in a couple of their pictures and the one with the cross section of the finger. ... As well as I have personally observed this on my Orinoco bunches.
I will try later to find which groups has red coloring. I don't have time now. .... And, may be the forum will still be working! ....
Tytaylor77
07-14-2018, 02:37 AM
The blue java is a tall Orinoco.
The goldfinger it’s hard to tell. Keep posting pics and hopefully we can ID it.
Congrats on the blooms!!
I will add some more photos later today. Sadly the Orinoco (Taylor id’d) only put out two hands apparently. I went out last night and the last petiole to open had male flowers 😖 Unless it plans on producing female flowers again randomly it will be a small bunch for sure. I searched some threads and am at a loss to as why it produced so little as it’s gets plenty of water and nutrients. It gets compost monthly as well as banana fuel fertilizer and I gave it potash a few times as it got fairly tall because I figured it would bloom. I laid off the fert one the flower came out. Maybe it’s just the first bunch so it’s small. Hoping it’s pup does better. Now I have to research Orinoco and see what to expect flavor wise!
I added pictures of both bunches this morning. Apparently the “Goldfinger “ is also done with female flowers. Now I’m not so sure it’s the same variety that bloomed last December. It really looked like the same plant but that first plant made TONS of hands before the freeze took them out😡
bananaT
07-14-2018, 08:57 AM
The Orinocos don't really produce large bunches.
Different variations can put on some BIG fruits though.
Some get as large as soda cans, but you're luck if you get more than a few hands.
Orinoco are more known for being hardy tough as nails gangbusters, than for high production.
They are Great tasting though, I think.
Thanks bananat. I suppose I’m even more impressed with my other mystery bananas in this row. Since the pstem with all those hands froze (and was cut down) 7 pups have sprouted on the mat. 3 of those new plants are almost as tall as the mother plant so I expect a bloom again from at least one of them in the next couple of months.
Thanks again all and looking forward to some more blooms on my other mystery bananas so we can figure out what they are too
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