Exotic Life

Hi,

Can somebody on this forum tell me more about this banana ? How cold tolerant ? Does somebody grow this species ? Does somebody have picture's ?

Robbin

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Steenbergen , The Netherlands
Europe
Lowest minium winter 2006/2007: -2,8C/28.4F
Lowest minium winter 2005/2006: -6,1C / 21F
Lowest minium winter 2004/2005: -6C / 21F

bigdog

Phil Markey could help you out with that. As far as I know, it was introduced into cultivation over 100 years ago, then lost. Phil has seeds on his website. It has an upright, orange flower. Judging by the part of the world that it comes from, it should have some degree of cold-tolerance. Grow it and let us know!

Gabe15

This species is very rare in cultivation. It is a member of the Rhodochlamys subgenera so is similar to species such as Musa velutina and Musa ornata, except M. aurantiaca has an orange flower. I doubt it has any special cold tolerance, it would probly do well in zones 8 and above. I have seeds but none have germinated yet.

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The only hemp Im growing is Manila.

Exotic Life

Thanks for the comments guy's!

Does somebody here on the board have maybe a picture for me from this banana?

Robbin

__________________
Steenbergen , The Netherlands
Europe
Lowest minium winter 2006/2007: -2,8C/28.4F
Lowest minium winter 2005/2006: -6,1C / 21F
Lowest minium winter 2004/2005: -6C / 21F

Tropicallvr

I just got the seeds, and they are really small, probally the smallest Musa seed I've seen. Hopefully it will sprout easy.

bigdog

Sweet. Mine are on the way. Let us know if you have some success with them, Kyle. It sure looks like a nice plant, and I love the orange, upright flower. How large are the seeds compared to M. velutina? I have read that the smallest of Musa seeds belongs to a little known species called Musa ochracea.

Gabe15

I got mine from a different source, but they too are very small. The only Musa seeds I have had that were smaller are M. lawitiensis.

__________________
The only hemp Im growing is Manila.

Tropicallvr

Not sure how much smaller but they are probally just a tad smaller, more round, and with fairly smooth light brown seed coat.

bigdog

Thanks, Kyle. I should be getting mine in sometime soon. The new Small Lots of Seed Program from the USDA sure makes getting the seeds take a lot longer, and a bit more of a hassle, but I suppose it's a good thing. I just hate it that I have to arrange shipping from the inspection station to here, as well as shipping from overseas to the inspection station. They used to just forward the seeds on free of charge, I am told, but not anymore.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to receiving them and the new batch of Musa cheesmani seeds. I also ordered some of the new M. velutina seeds, as Phil said they came from the huge plants in his pictures.

Tropicallvr

He sent me the seeds without a small seed lot permit this time, but he said it was the last time he would do it.
I am trying to import 1000 Parajubaea torallyi microcarpa from south America with someone else and their permit, and our orders got held up at customs. They wanted an extra 400 bucks to send the seeds the rest of the way from the border, so instead of paying up the, wholesaler is going to send our order through a different carrier, and hopefully it will make it through without getting pinched by the middle man(customs) again. What a pain in the butt for some legal seeds.
I hope the veluntinas, and cheesemaniis turn out unique, and cold hardy!

Mustang

Has anyone's musa aurantiaca seeds germinated yet?

Tropicallvr

So far 5 have germinated for me, and after their 6th leaf, they are showing red/pink pseudostem, and mid rib. It doesn't look like that yellow flowered, pale waxy plant, that he has on his website. Maybe in the confusion he has sold something else, maybe Burmese blue(which they resemble), but probally too soon to tell.

Gabe15

The yellow waxy one is M. nagensium. I had thought he already corrected that. Musa aurantiaca is short with an upright, orange flower bud.

__________________
The only hemp Im growing is Manila.

Mustang

Well, I got some from Phil, and they are now in the propagator. So I'll keep my fingers crossed that something will germinate.

MediaHound

Tropicallvr

OK thanks Gabe. I'm getting more excited with each new leaf. They are growing really rapidly, very dark green large leaves, and nice burgundy color on stem.