Log in

View Full Version : I hope I got the right "red" banana this time.


Want Them All
09-20-2009, 10:41 PM
As some of you know, last week I picked up 2 of what I thought, and was labeled as such, were Red Abyssinian. Experts on this forum pointed out that those were not "reds". Went to a different Lowes today, picked up a Musa Red maurelii. Does this look like the real thing? What's the difference between Red maurelii and Red abyssinian? Is one a "musa" and the other "ensete"? Do they look similar enough when grown taller? The tag says it's a "fast" grower, which is perfect for me. I want to provide some shade for my Japanese maples.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23504&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23504&ppuser=5976)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23508&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23508&ppuser=5976)

Gabe15
09-21-2009, 04:53 AM
They are the exact same species (Ensete ventricosum), just different color forms. If the plant has lots of red on it, it is likely a 'Maurelii'. There are many varieties of this species, but only a couple are available in the market. What you are showing photos of looks like a 'Maurelii' form.

LilRaverBoi
09-21-2009, 02:19 PM
Yup yup, that looks like an Ensete Ventricosum 'maurelii.' This is also know as the Red Abyssinian Banana....I've never heard it called a 'red maurelii' but I kinda think this is just big box store speak for 'we don't really know the details of this plant.' LOL. Glad you got what you wanted!

supermario
09-22-2009, 08:18 PM
As some of you know, last week I picked up 2 of what I thought, and was labeled as such, were Red Abyssinian. Experts on this forum pointed out that those were not "reds". Went to a different Lowes today, picked up a Musa Red maurelii. Does this look like the real thing? What's the difference between Red maurelii and Red abyssinian? Is one a "musa" and the other "ensete"? Do they look similar enough when grown taller? The tag says it's a "fast" grower, which is perfect for me. I want to provide some shade for my Japanese maples.


I believe the plant you are looking for is called 'Jamaican Red' or 'Cuban Red'.

There is a picture in the thread below:

http://www.bananas.org/f13/jamaican-red-fruit-taste-3001.html