tropicalkid

Just wanted to know,as trying to identify or differentiate one between the others can be quite a task, as some people interchange their species between each other, in the case they're different plants.
tropicalkid

Gabe15

Ensete ventricosum is a species native to Africa, "Ensete maurelii" is just a redder cultivated form of Ensete ventricosum and should be called Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'. Ensete superbum is a whole 'nuther species all together native to India.

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tropicalkid

Thanks again Gabe!!!

ryan

hey folks, a local nursery here in singapore has started importing ensete superbum and while the new plants are bashed up looking, i'm really curious about their cultuvation requirements. does anyone have any experience with this species?

MediaHound

I'm updating some Maurelii threads with the link to the wiki page about them...
http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Ensete_ventricosum_'Maurelii'

jbsobe

I'm also confused as to which is which, between the ventricosum and superbum. I've seen the same exact image at online sites for both species. I know they're from different origins but does anyone have the correct images?

i know the morelli is the red variety of ventricosum but i've seen the spelling morelli and morelii. What's the correct spelling?


thanks.
John

Tropicallvr

Image of Ensete superbum - Heliconia Paradise -here is E.superbum in flower, but in it's regular non flowering state it's leaves are kinda on a single plane, and it's ussally a short plant.

And here's E. ventricosum(grown in subtropical climate).

jbsobe

Wow! That's amazing!
Thanks for the clarification Kyle. There's a big difference. How old is the plant in this photo of E. Ventricosum? That's the one I was looking for. Apparently, some site used an image of E. Ventricosum as E. Superbum.
John

Tropicallvr

I think that plat is around 5-6 years old. They grow quite rapidly in the right conditions.
Didn't you say earlier that you live in S.Florida before? I have heard that they don't do well there. The one in the picture was taken in the highlands of Mexico where it frosts in the winter, and has pretty cold rain in the summer, so it's more of a subtropical environment. On the same trip there was Ensete ventricosum at lower elevations(more tropical), but they looked terrible. Ensete glaucum also get's fairly big, but withstands tropical heat, and is really easy to sprout from seed. Also Musa 'Saba' gets huge, so if that's the effect you want you might want to check out those two.

Mark Hall

Corect spelling is Maurelii. Superbum has a squatter trunk than Maurelii and green leaves whereas Maurelii has the red leaf.

Here are some pictures of Superbums and other Ensetes.Sorry about the wide pictures that some one posted as you cant get to the other pages.
Hardy Tropicals - View topic - The Ensetes are out.

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D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan

I think thats one of the big reasons they do so well, if not even better than most of florida in the more subtropical to even warm temperate areas. There are quite a few of those growing here in people's yards (I have one in a pot) and they come back every year, and get HUGE, 20' tall or more. They seem to like the period of cold / dormancy.

The one problem that is common with them up here, espeically when it gets extremely humid which if often does here in midsummer, is crown rot. It usually does not kill them, but it sure can cause them to put out a string of 3 or 4 bad/ damaged leaves. It probably has to do with its much more upright leaves, that act as a funnel and hold more water in. When it does not evaporate quickly, you get crown rot.

Mine is just a first year plant, and is getting HUGE already.

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damaclese

i love my EV! they are all 3 moths old and are already 14 inches and they dont seem to mind the dry wind and hot temps here in Vegas they are thrusty thoue at least at this young stage
my superbums are still in the germanation faze of life dose any one know how long they take to pop?

D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan

I dont know TOO much about the ventricosum as a whole, but I have read many places that the superbums are slower growers,and do not grow quite as tall as the regular EVs. Beyond that I know nothing abou the superbums.

Wish I could help more!

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Tropicallvr

If it's the Indian suberbum, they take about 2-4 weeks normally. If it is the smaller Thai seed, then they seem to take alot longer. After waiting over a year I finally got 2 of 10 to sprout of the Thai kind.

Dean W.

Wow, a year? I guess my seeds will be fine outside overwinter?

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Dean