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View Full Version : Variegated Dwarf 'namwah Pearl'


sean
08-09-2005, 10:28 PM
anyone have any experience with these? i just ordered one from ebay

JoeReal
08-09-2005, 11:22 PM
They're supposed to be as cold hardy as regular dwarf namwah, which can fruit in our zone. I might be getting these. costs $13.95 + SH of $5.75, not bad.

MediaHound
08-09-2005, 11:37 PM
I bought a fishtail palm (caryota mitis) from the same seller in the past.

Anyway, I just ordered one also.
Really looking forward to the new addition.

sean
08-10-2005, 08:24 AM
as soon as it arrives and I get it in the ground i'll take some pics

MediaHound
08-10-2005, 09:06 AM
Cool, we'll create a family portrait.

bananalover
08-10-2005, 09:49 AM
Waiting for mine as well. Mine will go in a pot when it arrives.

Tropicallvr
08-11-2005, 01:27 AM
Since Ae Ae can turn all white when give alkaline soil, maybe pearl will get more white if given alkaline soil.
Just a thought.

Casa Del Gatos
08-11-2005, 05:50 AM
I bought two of these from the same seller. Got them about a week ago. Well packed, no damage in transit. The variegation is VERY light, more creamy yellow than white and very subtle. They are doing great and growing - new leaves on both already. Planning on putting them in the greenhouse so they can grow all year. Will post pics shortly.

bananalover
08-11-2005, 12:51 PM
Mine arrived today. It also was packaged well, came quickly and is in good shape. I will have photos in my gallery.

tlturbo
08-11-2005, 01:47 PM
Tropicallvr said that Ae-Ae turn all white when given alkaline soil.

I'm curious - has anyone ever SEEN this happen or read that it really does?
I'm of the opinion that the white is a sport just like the varigated is of it's mother plant. I have had 14 pups from one Ae-Ae corm and 3 have come up all creamy white. Really wild looking. I let one get about a foot tall and severed it from the corm but otherwise left it alone. It immediately stopped growing and looks like it is dying. The others whites are all still growing fine. All the varigated pups keep right on growing when severed. I have also NEVER gotten an all green pup.

I have heard several people say they will turn all white but I wonder if this is true. Sure wish I could get one to stay alive by itself.

Curious minds want to know - Terry

JoeReal
08-11-2005, 03:00 PM
In the pic below, at left is variegated Namwah, at right is Ae-ae. This is a picture posted by Eggo over at gw forum.

Tropicallvr
08-11-2005, 03:38 PM
If you read it again, that is Eggos own non dwarf varigated namwah that he has had for a while. I don't think the pearl will be as nice.

JoeReal
08-11-2005, 03:49 PM
If you read it again, carefully this time, what I meant is that the picture was posted or linked by Eggo.

In the picture is a side by side comparison of a bigger (compared to the arlier pictures in pots) nice looking variegated Namwah on the left side and Ae-ae on the right. The picture of the Ae-ae do not belong to Eggo as he indicated that he got it from somewhere.

I don't care whose plants are in the side by side comparison. What I care is that variegated Namwah is truly beautiful, at par with Ae-ae for my eyes, only with thin pencil white streak as in the picture of the variegated banana on the left. This all depends upon the assumption that Eggo's picture and statements are true.

I have read carefully that particular post of Eggo that contained the picture of both variegated Namwah and Ae-ae.

bananalover
08-11-2005, 04:06 PM
He also said that it was NOT a pearl but was a variegated Namwah

JoeReal
08-11-2005, 04:08 PM
Then I want to have that variegated namwah, i hope it is dwarf and variegation stable.

Apologies to all for the confusion.

bananalover
08-11-2005, 04:10 PM
Yeah, me too, lol. I posted pictures of my namwah pearl that I recieved in the mail today in my album. Don't know how to get it on the boards.

MediaHound
08-11-2005, 09:12 PM
To post a photo from your gallery, visit the page with the photo, and underneath it, you will see a box like this:
http://www.bananas.org/images/bbimagecode.jpg

Place your cursor in this box, right click and select "copy"
now you have the code perfectly formatted to post in your thread
Just visit the posting page where you want to post your message,
place your cursor in the wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) editor (the window where you type your message), and either click Edit -> paste
or hold the Ctrl key while mashing the letter V (Ctrl+V) to paste your image code.
Now click the preview button.
You should see your image appear in the preview. Now, if you are happy, click to post your message, or click to keep editing and previewing before you post everything the way you like it.


_______________________________________________________
Previous version of this message, (still applies, mainly for other sites where you may find images, but we since added this box we talk about above to make it even easier if your posting images hosted here at bananas.org):

To post a photo, you must get the url to the image on your clipboard. To do that, right click the photo, select 'properties' - then in the box that appears, you will see the direct link (location) of the image. Double click that link to select all, or drag your mouse across it to highlight it, then copy that link to your clipboard with a Ctrl+C or another right click and select 'copy'. Come back here and type out your post, then click the little icon that looks like a mountain range with a sunset. Thats the tool to help post images. It will prompt you for the address of the image, it's already copied to your clipboard. So Ctrl+V to paste it in there (or right click and select 'paste') and presto, your image is ready to post. Preview your entire post to make sure it formatted everything properly before you click submit.

An easier way is to paste the URL to the image and surround it with [ img ] (means open image) and [ / img ] (means close image), like this:
[ img ] http: // www. path-to-your-image.com/image.php?image.gif [ / img ]
(but remove the spaces, I had to use spaces so that it wouldn't parse the example)

Hope this helps!

Southern-Grower
08-13-2005, 07:07 AM
They're supposed to be as cold hardy as regular dwarf namwah, which can fruit in our zone. I might be getting these. costs $13.95 + SH of $5.75, not bad.

he has 3 more up on ebay 1 buy it now and 2 on bid..


sg

Bonheur
08-13-2005, 08:43 AM
I just bought the buy it now. (I couldn't help myself! :))

MediaHound
08-13-2005, 09:41 AM
Therese! Congrats!

tlturbo
08-13-2005, 09:47 AM
Shame on you Theresa, you are out of control. HA HA
So far I have resisted the urge.

Sent you an e-mail.

Terry

Casa Del Gatos
08-14-2005, 07:32 AM
Hey everybody, be careful with those things - they are pretty sensitive to too much light!

I came home the other day and found my wife had "helpfully" put mine where they got at least 4 hours of direct morning sun! Both of them have some burning. Jeez! I hope they don't stay quite so delicate. I do eventually plan to put them in one of the big mats outside.

JoeReal
08-14-2005, 11:49 AM
Getting burnt leaf should not be a big deal for bananas. They quickly recover and during the very active growth in the warm season, those leaves will be history. Even if all banana leaves get burnt, you should not worry as the newer leaves emerge, they get acclimatized to the new area you moved them. You can also simply chop off the top part of the trunk, and this way all your new leaves will be acclimatized. The area of the pseudostem is more than enough for bananas to photosynthesize food for maintenance and helping in the growing of leaves. The pseudostems and the corm have also a lot of stored food and nutrients to easily replace leaves. Remember that most of banana's native habitat in the tropics are prone to typhoons, hurricanes, and they have evolved to quickly recover from these very frequent natural disasters.

Gabe15
08-14-2005, 11:57 AM
Keep inmind that this plant has way less chlorophyll then any other banana so it will not be able to absorb as much light, so I would think it would do best in mostly shade anyway.

bananalover
08-14-2005, 12:47 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57&size=1
Ok, trying to see if I can post my picture.

JoeReal
08-16-2005, 12:28 AM
Bananas have really a big leaf area index compared to some plants. Even the sheaths underneath the pseudostem are photosynthesizing up to several layers deep. So variegation should not slow down its productivity. I have variegated citruses and bougainvilleas. They are exposed to the scorching sun without burns. White or yellow color doesn't mean there's no cholorphyll, they still have some active chloroplasts even if the color is near white. I have yet to see burnt leaf on my established variegated plants.

I have to admit though, all of my variegated citruses tastes bland and have fewer juices on them compared to their non-variegated counterparts.

Gabe15
08-16-2005, 12:55 AM
Ive seen the white sections of Ae Ae (pure leucoplasts, no light absorbtion) burn like a match in full sun, this new one will need some adjusting to full sun and I gaurentee it will not grow as fast as other bananas, because even though it has lots of chlorophyll and chromophyll still, it does not have nearly as much as green bananas which can throw out leaves every 4 days or better, this plant wount be able to keep up with the big guys. It will still grow and produce but at a slower rate for sure.

JoeReal
08-16-2005, 01:46 AM
Gabe,

I'm not disputing what you have observed about Ae-ae, it is interesting to note that is the case with your ae-ae's, and me not growing one. I just don't want to generalize that this is true for all variegated (white or yellow) plants, as I have grown side by side on the same tree, variegated and non-variegated counterparts and have not found any problems yet. I always respect anybody's observations in here, knowing that we have multitudes of other factors that could interact in the way we grow our plants, so what results we may have obtained could be different than others. It is however very good to know how each of our observations go, along with other factors that could come into play. I have my full respect for you and everyone else, novice or veteran, so please don't get offended even in the slightest way if sometimes I will have to disagree with some of our findings, observations, or speculations. That's what forums are for, and I promise to be more civilized here compared to the superthrive citrus forum thread at garden web. Just remind me when I go out of line. Feel free to disagree with what I sometimes say, my memories could be faulty and my comprehension shorthanded. Science is not etched in stone either, and as far as banana growing in the US, it is really more of an art than a scientific technology, we are in its infancy, faced with entirely different problems than in the tropics.

We call Manila hemp as abaca. It has tons of uses, from strong ropes, to clothes, to papers, to envelopes, to file folders.

Joe

Gabe15
08-16-2005, 09:27 AM
Im not offended at all, Im just stating what I have observed, sorry if it came off a little defensive, that was not intended. The same banana cutivar or species will react and grow very differently depending on what climate you are growing it in. I know that there are other variegated plants that grow just as well as there green counterparts, but in the case of bananas in specific, I have not seen this.

bananalover
08-16-2005, 02:39 PM
I think it will be very interesting for us to see how we grow our Namwah "Pearls". Right now I have mine in the greenhouse with the other new plants. The greenhouse is fairly shaded right now and so far I have nothing to report on it. I watered it once when it got here and that is it. I will tell you all when it starts growing or if it burns etc. I have a picture I will load of it by my new dwarf orinoco.

bananalover
08-16-2005, 03:19 PM
Here is my dwarf namwah pearl and my dwarf orininoco just for comparison on color.

mph]http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=85&size=1[mphl]

bananalover
08-16-2005, 03:22 PM
Ok that didnt' work like I wanted. Try try again.

mph]http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=85&size=1[mphl]

sean
08-16-2005, 03:29 PM
am still waiting on mine :(

bananalover
08-16-2005, 03:32 PM
Ok, that should have worked but didn't seem to. One more time or you can look in the gallery, lol.

[mph]http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=85&size=1[mphl]

bananalover
08-16-2005, 03:33 PM
I give up! Sean it will be there soon. Mine came fairly quickly!

MediaHound
08-16-2005, 07:21 PM
should be [ img ] , where did this [ mphl ] come from?
here, let me try
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=85&size=1

Southern-Grower
08-17-2005, 07:21 AM
here's my pearl,

did you notice that fruit is variegated too??
6-7' perfect for my 13' center height gh, to fruit..

http://storage.msn.com/x1pM0jCSUoiRhBnroM6e255fr1bliW5PbmEZRrQuVgc7wuKHjule2QDIb6tZDgnb UX53dCJAbpQJi7DwW9JhexKLVg48kOVs2uuNZSDXf1JMnxOWZ8aHSCcvQIEJa3vV 2P8

tropicalkid
08-17-2005, 11:08 AM
Bought one of these too.Will add it up to my gallery soon:cool:
tropicalkid

momoese
08-17-2005, 01:57 PM
I just bought one too! I'll try adjusting the ph and see what happens.

JoeReal
08-17-2005, 02:10 PM
Just got mine an hour ago. It is sitting on my desk, I have them ship it to my office.

Don't massacre me for what I have to say folks. Honestly, it looks really pale green, looks more like a canna than a banana. And if it were a banana, it looked like inflicted with bacterial or viral leaf streak, or suffering from nutrient deficiency. :D :D :D

Here's hoping that it will change as it grows bigger. I am going to separate a pup from my regular Dwarf Namwah and will plant them side by side this weekend.

Gabe15
08-17-2005, 02:57 PM
I dont know if some of you guys realize this, but 'Dwarf Namwah Pearl' is not supposed to be variegated like 'Ae Ae', its just supposed to be lighter with some minimal variegation, not huge bands of dark green and white like 'Ae Ae'.

JoeReal
08-17-2005, 03:45 PM
Shall we sue the seller then? It has fine cream colored variegation according to its description.

Here's the exact (my typos forgive) wording from the enclosed document that came along with my plant:

DWARF NAMWAH PEARL

THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT BANANA. -PALE GREEN WITH FINE CREAM COLORED VARIEGATION, A REAL SHOW STOPPER.......

Gabe15
08-17-2005, 07:23 PM
Well, the fact is that the picture I have is the original plant that all of these TC's came from, so thats what its going to look like. It's nice, but as we say "It ain't no Ae Ae" : )

bananalover
08-17-2005, 07:32 PM
I didn't expect mine to look anything like Ae Ae. I just like it because it is different but then again each type of banana I have I like because it is different, lol.

JoeReal
08-17-2005, 11:13 PM
So where's the picture of the original? Will truly appreciate something we can salivate over ;)

Bananavilla
08-18-2005, 12:38 AM
California Gold is quite different in it's own way as well.
Mike

MediaHound
08-18-2005, 02:44 AM
think it might be this
http://www.bananas.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=7&d=1124308556

Gabe15
08-18-2005, 08:49 AM
ooops!, sorry, i just had it as a link. I found that picture on the Agri-Starts website about a year ago. I emailed them to ask if they had any available or if they were able to TC it. They told me that was ther eonly one and they weree working on trying to TC it, so now, a year later, apperently they cracked the code!

tlturbo
08-18-2005, 09:44 AM
OK, wayyyyyy back in this thread was a side by side pic of a variegated something next to an Ae-Ae. I now gather that the other plant was a variegated Namwah (not Dwarf) but NOT the variegated Dwarf Namwah "Pearl". Am I right? So where did the one that looks almost like Ae-Ae come from, who has it and is it available? Just trying to get this straight in my mind.
The above pic of Pearl is really a neat looking plant although totally different from the other 2.

Terry

Gabe15
08-18-2005, 09:56 AM
The other one is a variegated 'Namwah' like 'Ae Ae', its origin is a random mutation, not from TC like the 'Namwah Pearl'. A guy called Eggo over on GW has that plant, it is completly different from 'Dwarf Namwah Pearl', I thinks thats where the confusion was at.

JoeReal
08-18-2005, 12:03 PM
Any chance of inviting Eggo or letting Eggo share his banana?

TimChapman
08-19-2005, 10:45 AM
.. well if it helps further the confusion, a few of the newer asian variegates are also namwahs, and different in appearance. None of these are widely available, but in time I'm sure they will be. Haven't seen any like 'namwah pearl' but some similar to the picture eggo posted.

Tim Chapman

Gabe15
08-19-2005, 11:08 AM
Great to see you here Tim!

Markku had showed me some pics of a really cool one he saw at some Asian nursery, but he did not know what it was, but it really held its variegation much better than 'Ae Ae' and was is in my opinion a much nicer plant. Asiatica Nursery was offering for a short time those two cool ones 'Sweet Cream' and 'Somthing else I can't remember', and then a similarliy variagted like 'Namwah Pearl' kinda M. laterita or some other Rhodochlamys which they called 'Sweet Thai Treasure' I think, but like that helps us:D

JoeReal
08-19-2005, 11:13 AM
When will this torture end?

MediaHound
08-19-2005, 01:33 PM
.. well if it helps further the confusion, a few of the newer asian variegates are also namwahs, and different in appearance. None of these are widely available, but in time I'm sure they will be. Haven't seen any like 'namwah pearl' but some similar to the picture eggo posted.

Tim Chapman

Hi Tim, welcome to the board. :drum:

MediaHound
08-19-2005, 01:36 PM
Mine arrived yesterday in great shape.

Think you guys would like to know that the seller, Brigitta, added a note that she would be joining our board.

sean
08-19-2005, 01:47 PM
Mine finally arrived!

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=96&size=1

TimChapman
08-19-2005, 03:56 PM
Just checked the thai variegated plant books, they show 5 variegated types, 2 are listed as Nam Wa's and the other three are unidentified. Its hard to say too say much since some of the photos are close ups and it doesn't give the same effect as looking at a clump from a short distance. One does have more of the 'pearl look' but maybe not the same thing?? There are some other neat ones not in that book, like yellow/greens and a mostly yellow leaf type. If I didn't have to cancel my summer trip this year, i'd be buying some right about now :(

Tim Chapman

MediaHound
08-19-2005, 05:46 PM
story time
canceled trip?
sounds like you _almost_ had a good time

TimChapman
08-19-2005, 07:13 PM
no big story but I was planning to be there right about now, but my parents have decided to move across country in a few days and between being here for that, and to help with the house and such.. and not having a house/dog/plant sitter available (we live close and normally take care of each others' stuff) it makes sense to be here.

I definitely am going to asia next year for the zingiberaceae conference in singapore and will make it to thailand and probably somewhere else. Did get to panama earlier in the year, so this year hasn't been a complete waste travel wise.... however I do have several goodies waiting on me in asia and was hoping to get them now. My friend has tried mailing twice, and each time it was problematic at best. These things are a bit too costly to play around with. The last box of ginger rhizomes (mind you everything is permitted, papers etc.) was sent back to thailand because the Post Office in houston wouldn't put in the effort to find the new address of the customs house which moved locations the week before!!! Another government agency!!! anyways.

Tim Chapman

bananalover
08-19-2005, 08:35 PM
It sure would be nice to have the seller join the board. Then we would know where the plant was gotten from etc. I wonder if she has a larger one than the picture on the auction and can show us a picture. That would be nice. So far mine is doing nicely in the greenhouse and has a new leaf spike coming along nicely. The best thing about these is going to be seeing that next leaf unfurl and see how it looks.

JoeReal
08-19-2005, 09:24 PM
I think as we have all suspected is that they all got these Namwah Pearls from Agri-Starts.

Casa Del Gatos
08-20-2005, 09:22 AM
OMG! Did you folks see what Asiatica wants for the Sweet Cream?:eek:
Sweet Cream at Asiatica (http://asiaticanursery.com/product_info.php/cPath/66/products_id/1008?osCsid=b881d0d7b301c3c64068950025d4c3a0)

Makes the Ae-Ae look pretty much like a bargain!

Casa Del Gatos
08-20-2005, 09:59 AM
Brigitta told me they grow the Pearls there in Ocala, Florida. The question is, "did they start out as liners from Agri-Starts?"

Southern-Grower
08-20-2005, 10:53 AM
most likely..

as agri starts were the ones i contacted July 14, 2004 about this plant..
here's my answer, "I do not know when These will be ready, But I will start a back order list for you."

i also remember gabe saying something about contacting them last year too..

shazaam, on the market..!

i know, you snooze you lose !!

MediaHound
08-20-2005, 02:57 PM
yup, she is really cleaning house with these

MediaHound
08-20-2005, 03:09 PM
OMG! Did you folks see what Asiatica wants for the Sweet Cream?:eek:
Sweet Cream at Asiatica (http://asiaticanursery.com/product_info.php/cPath/66/products_id/1008?osCsid=b881d0d7b301c3c64068950025d4c3a0)

Makes the Ae-Ae look pretty much like a bargain!

You think that's bad?
They used to have the Sweet Thai Treasure for $500

tropicalkid
08-20-2005, 03:28 PM
I definitely am going to asia next year for the zingiberaceae conference in singapore and will make it to thailand and probably somewhere else. Did get to panama earlier in the year, so this year hasn't been a complete waste travel wise.... however I do have several goodies waiting on me in asia and was hoping to get them now. My friend has tried mailing twice, and each time it was problematic at best.

Tim Chapman

I hope you bring some more rare banana seeds too :D
I'm looking for Musa jackeyi ones by the way.
tropicalkid:cool:

Casa Del Gatos
08-20-2005, 05:48 PM
Anybody going to the Phillipines? I am really hot to get some Senorita!

TimChapman
08-21-2005, 08:45 AM
I'm hoping for some Senorita myself. Sounds like a good candidate for being a producer in zone 8... even if not, it should be much easier to handle over winter at least.

Hoping to get in some interesting seeds sooner or later... not the biggest priority at the moment, but its on an evergrowing todo list.

The variegated musa that asiatica has/had can be bought for much "less" overseas, but the cost of them there is still higher than ae-ae. Some are still hard to get, and you have to wait for them.

I'm hoping with all of these new ones there is one outstanding, easy to grow variety that is pretty stable.

Tim Chapman

tropicalkid
08-25-2005, 05:29 PM
Got mine today.Looks excellent and very carefully packed.Will post pictures probably in the weekend, been very busy at work.
tropicalkid:cool:

momoese
08-25-2005, 08:31 PM
Mine arrived today and it looks great. The seller did an awesome job with the packing. I won't bother posting a picture because it looks like the others posted allready. No real varigation, just some creamy looking leaves.

dragr13
02-03-2007, 11:53 PM
So clearly it's been a long time since this thread was last posted to, but i was just curious to see how everyone's pearls were doing? and if they really look anything at all like ae ae? pictures? lol. thanks!

momoese
02-04-2007, 12:52 PM
There has been a few other threads about these. The seller sold them again the following season, some customers were happy, some not. Mine died after some abuse in it's second year. You can pics of it in my gallery. They look nothing like AE AE though.

dragr13
02-05-2007, 07:08 PM
huh. that's a pity. sorry to hear about yours, anyway!

varig8
03-25-2007, 01:18 AM
I have'nt seen any other TC Nam Wah 'Pearl' bought from Agristarts, or any other Ebay seller, end up looking like the photograph on the agristarts site. They are all just light yellow/green colored without any darker variegation. I think the variegated type shown in the Agristarts photo would be called a 'reverse variegate', as the main coloration is white and the small amount of 'variegated' portion is normal green. I don't think agristarts has them in production anymore-( I called a few months ago and thats what a sales associate told me). They seem to be weak clones of an unstable variegate. Same thing happens when you try to TC any somatic variegate. You get any number of potential combinations from the unstable parent's meristem that is being cloned. Personally I bought a few Pearl liners when they were first available and they have since all died except one little plant 2 yrs old and still 2" tall! I did get a 'Pearl' (if thats what you want to call it) as a sucker from Thailand. It is similar to a dwarf Cavendish in height and having the wider shorter leaves produced in a tight whorl. Different from the other variegated Nam Wah; taller with longer leaves and petioles, and having the sectored type variegation of AeAe. I also have the dwarf Nam Wah variegated sectored white and also in cream/yellow. I believe these are all the same 'plant'. They are just unstable variegates and I think they can throw sports of any amt/and type of variegated patterns in their suckers. And, they WILL send all green normal suckers as well. These Nam Wah seem to be chimeras and not genetic variegates. Not stable at all. I would assume that if you want one with a certain variegation pattern you should get hold of a corm from a mother plant that exhibits at least 50/50 ratio of that type variegation pattern. The first 2 suckers I got from my dwarf albo sectored Nam Wah were completely green.......what a dissapointment THAT was! I have photos of all these types in my gallery if you want to take a look at the different variegation patterns on each. Id be very very interested to see any older and updated photos of the members 'Pearls', (or information), so PLEASE, Im hoping you will post them! Happy growing with your 'green and white' thumbs!

MediaHound
03-25-2007, 10:19 AM
Very nice gallery, varig8!
:banana_pi

momoese
03-25-2007, 10:32 AM
You have some awesome looking plants! Search the gallery and you'll find 12 pictures of members dwarf namwah pearls including mine that died.

MediaHound
03-25-2007, 10:38 AM
Just did the slideshow of all your photos, varig8.
WOW that's an amazing collection you have amassed.

eggo
03-28-2007, 01:19 AM
Varig. Very very nice gallery. Glad to see you made it here!

GATrops
03-28-2007, 08:52 AM
varig8-That is an amazing collection. Thanks for posting your pics.