Lodewijkp

hi

why are basjoo seeds so rare and hard to find on the internet ?

are they selling it by a different name ?

are basjoo seeds easy to germinate ?

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tony palmer

Hi lodewijkp,

The problem with basjoo is you need two different clones to cross pollinate they are not self fertile.
Out side Sichuan and a couple of neighbouring provinces were they live in the wild,
most basjoo are from the same clones, because they are propagated by pups or tcd.
But they do produce seeds because I was talking to some one last year and he works for Kew gardens in London and he said thay had received seeds of Musa basjoo that year from Sichuan.



Tony

bigdog

Tony, I don't know where that rumor got started, but it is false. I have pollinated Musa basjoo flowers with pollen from a different flower in the same mat and got seeds just last year. I only got one banana, and there were only 3 seeds in it, but it did work!

And I would imagine that seeds are hard to find because it is such an easy banana to find in cultivation. Kind of like how not many people propagate Colocasia esculenta by seed, it is just so easy to get a clone by other means. It would be nice to see a bit more genetic diversity with musa basjoo however!

tony palmer

Nice one frank, were the seed fertile,! I have tried Musa Basjoo seeds that Chiltern seeds had on offer In 1996 they said the seed came from the Ryukyu Archipelago,
were we no it was introduced by man from china, god knows when,
I have become aware of several people over the years that tried Basjoo seeds from then, but the one thing we all had in common was no one germinated any, I did wonder if that was because the seeds had come from the same clone.

Gabe15

I agree with Frank, Ive never heard of any wild Musa not being able to self pollinate. Many banana species (like many plant species) require specific germinating conditions, and the whole reason we have the entire subforum on germination is because banana seeds in general are notoriously hard to germinate, so just because none germinated it does not mean they are not viable. This is an easy case to solve though, if you ever come across basjoo seed you believe to be inviable, crack a few open and see if they have embryos. The only banana seeds I have found to not consistently form embryos have been a few interspecific hybrids (though they generally still cross easily) and edible/wild hybrids.

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tony palmer

Gabe, the seeds that Chiltern offered were in the Addendum, and they said they had just come in,
So they should of been fresh, You would of thought one or two would of germinated I’m not saying you are wrong but its something to consider .

Lodewijkp

maybe a cross between an basjoo and a other nannner maybe wil give more viable seeds ? basjoo X sikkimensis ?
some genetic diversity wouldn't hurt.

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mrbungalow

About Chiltern seeds: They still use names such as "Musa hookeri" and "Musa ensete".
I don't think they have any control over their banana-species.

From what I have heard, basjoo does produce viable seeds, but only if plants are flowered "Out of sync." because of male and female flowers.

It annoys the hell out of me that basjoo seeds aren't available.
I have a very special reward for the person who can prove he/she has/can produced viable musa basjoo seeds. But I think you need to be in a warm climate or have a giant greenhouse to do it. So if you think you can produce viable/pure basjoo seeds in fair amounts, drop me a PM.

Erlend

Erlend

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bikoro child

M Klein in France from tropicaflore sells a Musa Basjoo Hybridum some years ago I called him and he told me it was an hybrid between Basjoo ans musa parasidiaca...This Basjoo makes leaves more dark and thick ...
I do'nt buy to this nursery cause not very serious...

mrbungalow

As I said; Anyone who can successfully produce m. basjoo seeds and come up with proof gets a reward personally from me.

(And "musa formosana" doesn't count, since it's now officially described as "musa itinerans var. formasana")

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tony palmer

Erlend, I have used chiltern seeds, for many years and found them to better
then most. Chiltern Seeds rare flower heirloom veg and herbs - Chiltern Seeds secure online shop

Lodewijkp

i also got a few basjoo that is darker thick leaves and few splotches but the seller was sure it was 100% basjoo (its a pup, parent did not have this)

i also got some hybrid seeds but they don't contain a embryo.

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mrbungalow

I don't doubt that they have quality seeds and that their intentions are good. However, since they use outdated or non-existing names for atleast 2 of the musa species, I would definately buy from another vendor. Their variety of other plant-species is nevertheless huge. Still, it's a pain when you're not 100% sure what you're getting, and £4.50 for 6 seeds of musa sikkimensis (outdated "hookeri" used on chilterns' site) is just ridiculus!! A couple of other online vendors either specialize in bananas and/or hardy tropicals.

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Lodewijkp

a vendor where i use to buy count 1,95 euro for 10 seeds and 10 euro for 100 sikkimensis seeds, seeds looked fresh and not dried.
anyway the prize does not garantee fresh viable seeds, at one vendor i did buy 100 sikki seeds for 20 euro's and none sprouted neither did they look fresh

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bigdog

I never even did try to germinate the seeds. In fact, I'm looking at them right now, sitting on a shelf on my desk. I just never bothered to try because it was only three seeds, and because I was only trying to produce some seeds to see if I could. Now, if it had been a cross, you bet I would've given them a shot!

I do know a fellow in South Carolina that has successfully germinated at least one Musa basjoo seed, and now has that plant growing in his garden. Buy I don't have proof, Erlend, LOL!

mrbungalow

Chronological pictures of the flower, fruit, seeds, seedlings, and young plant would be good enough for me!

Could you tell me more about your friend in SC? Did he have several stools of m. basjoo or just one? What time of the year did they flower?

Erlend

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tony palmer

Hi Frank,
the basjoo seeds that I got from Chiltern were like no other banana seed I have tried
They were brown flattish and warty, are yours like that.


Tony

Gabe15

Thats how my wild collected seeds were.

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mrbungalow

That's David Constantines' description of basjoo seeds too.

But the ones that Chiltern sold, werent they supposed to be a hybrid? And where would such a hybrid be sourced? Why haven't other nurseries/ Seed dealers devoted to bananas and tropicals been offering these seeds? (Sceptical by nature.......)

BTW, When did you buy the seeds? I see they don't have them now unfortunately... Is it too late for them to sprout?

Erlend

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tony palmer

Erlend,
i bought the seeds in 1996 as did Paul Spracklin of the UK Oasis
and a number of people i know, the seed were collected on the island of
Ryuk south of Japan, i dont know that there is any other banana on there
other than Basjoo?, i have never seen them for sale since then but if i do
i will let you know.


Tony