MusaRojo

Does anyone know what factors influence variegation in Ae-Ae leaves? Is it soil ph, temperature, N K P ratio, or some other factor or combination of factors? My plant is all over the map in terms of variegation. When I first got it, it had lots of white variegation, then the variegation became more of the blended type with fewer white areas. The overall amount of variegation began to decrease, so I used Miracid fertilizer to make the soil ph more acidic. It then produced several leaves with a significant increase in blended variegation with a slight increase in solid white area. The most recent leaf has several large white areas and a small amount of blended variegation. Is variegation completely random, or is it possible to influence the amount and type of variegation the plant produces?

The plant is healthy and beginning to slow down for "Winter" here in Southern California. I have heard that "Winter" may be warmer and drier than usual, so I am hoping it will flower this Spring.

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momoese

This is a good question and one I would like to know the answer to also. I just got home from vacation to find my Ae Ae from Natural selections waiting for me. It is has a lot of variegation while my big Ae Ae has produced a new leaf while gone and it has much less variegation then the last leaves. I have heard that PH will affect the colors but have yet to try any adjustments. I think it was someone on this board that made that suggestion?

tlturbo

All I can tell you is that my Ae-Ae that fruited last spring and all the smaller ones I now have, vary quite a bit from keaf to leaf. One will be 1/3 white on the right side and 50-50 on the left, then next is a lot more green all over that white but still about 60-40 then the next night have one leaf with about 50-50 white. In otherwords, I think it is just random.

I asked the same question a while back in several other places because SOMEONE ONCE SAID that PH will cause then to revert to all green. I asked if ANYONE had ever seen this happen and no one could say YES. I DO KNOW that my large corm has at one time had 5 variegated and 3 all white pups. NEVER had an all green pup out of 15 or so. Since it all was on the same corm in the same pot, I don't think soil or growing conditions had anything to do with it. I have heard but never had anyone admit seeing one go from variegated to all green.

I am tending to believe it is something someone once said that has been passed on as gospel. BUT I'm in FL so who knows how they will react in other areas and other soil.

Terry

Bananavilla

I have had contact with someone who has had them come up all green. They are supposed to still make tasty fruit though. This person also told me that the all white pups end up dieing.
Terry, have you had this experience or have the "albino" pups survived for you?
Mike

MediaHound

I've seen Terry's all white pups.
What a sight for the eyes!
Here's a pic I took of one:

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tlturbo

They are totally outrageous looking.

I have gotten them up to about a foot total height but it appears they are unable to self sustain themselves. I have separated 3 from the mother plant and planted them but they all slowly withered and died. I waiting now to see if ANYTHING somes back up from the little corm they each had. Probably not. I don't know how big you could get one IF you left it attached to the mother corn for nourishment.

Live and learn I guess.

Terry

MusaRojo

Assuming the changes I’ve observed haven’t been random, my experience would suggest that as the soil ph moves toward neutral, more dark green will appear in the leaves. As the ph is gradually adjusted lower, more variegation will be produced. Take this with a grain of salt, as my Ae-Ae is the only one I have ever seen. The only thing all published sources I have ever found agree on is that sudden ph changes are not good.

At one time I was concerned that my plant was on its way to becoming solid green, however this is no longer a worry. My plant looks very different from the pictures I see on the web. It was about 40% solid white when I first received it, just like the pictures on the web. Now it varies between 30-75% blended variegation with the rest divided between solid white and dark green. Solid white is never more than 20% of the total. The blended variegation is 4 different shades of green, which would suggest that there are different ratios of albino to green cells in each area. I actually prefer this subtle type of variegation set off by patches of white and dark green, because most of the time I spend around the plant is in the evening when the leaves are backlit by indirect light from the West. I also have a sense that this is the best compromise between the plant’s needs and my desire for an uncommon plant.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and observations.

Postscript: tonight I noticed the most recent leaf has far more blended variegation than I initially realized. There is very little solid green on this leaf, which opened two days ago. The next leaf is already starting to grow and will have several areas of white at the distal end. The kaleidoscope of variegation is what makes this plant fascinating to me.

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Chironex

I have been enjoying going through old posts and finding some interesting things, like these white AeAe pups. Pretty cool - yes, I have no life.

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Scot

fishoifc

momoese what is the web address of Natural Selections I would like to purchase AeAe

damaclese

i just want to say I'm in no way an expert bu here is some info that i think is informative and explains some of what the Ae Ae is all about


Varig8 (miamimax)is quoted as saying:
"Now as for AeAe and variations on sucker coloration and amounts of variegation in them; AeAe is a somatic variegate as opposed to a genetic *variegate- (a 'sport'or chimera). Genetic variegates are stable and come true from seed and can easily be tissue cultured. In AeAe the amount of *variegation in each plant depends on; #1. How much mutant tissue is in the apical meristem, and #2. Where that mutant tissue is in the apical *meristem when a sucker is developing in the corm. This mutant tissue moves and revolves around the apical meristem. Some AeAe have LOTS of *white, some have a little with shades of different greens and greys.Some AeAe are completely green. They are ALL still AeAe. When the AeAe *produces suckers, they will oftentimes produce pure white suckers, which die right away if removed, or languish while feeding off the mother *until it eventually dies. It will also send up some normal green suckers, and then you'll get a few nice evenly proportioned variegated suckers. *This is the reason they remain expensive. The better variegated plant you start with, the better chance you have at getting more variegated *suckers, as this plant will have more mutant tissue in it's apical meristem." - source on the gardenweb forum at
The things that are sold on Ebay - Banana Forum - GardenWeb

sours: Bananas.org/Varig8

Also from the Kiki:
Quote from Bigdog:
"There are periclinal, mericlinal, and sectorial arrangements in the apical meristem that can produce variegation. Periclinal arrangements are *where a layer of mutated tissue completely surrounds an inner core of nonmutated tissue. Mericlinal arrangements are where cells that carry the *mutant gene occupy only a part of the outer cell layer of the plant. Sectorial arrangements is where the mutated tissue involves a sector of the *stem but extends all the way from the surface to the center. This type is rare, usually only occuring in an embryo or root tip, and quickly *reverts to either periclinal or mericlinal chimeras. I believe that the AeAe fall under the mericlinal category. I'm not really certain what *somatic variegation is...although I thought it had something to do with tissue culture. Anyhow, tissue culturing a mericlinal chimera would *result in an all-green or all-white plant it would seem, depending on where the tissue was taken on the apical meristem."

Sours: Bananas.org/Bigdog

so in the above texst i think lies some of the answers as to why they are varigated and how they do what they do but and this is just a hypothesis on my part in watching my Ae Ae and also my Siam Ruby iv noted that they do seem if i move them to more or less light to make changes in how much green they have on there leafs so i believe that thy have and ability to sense light and make changes in growth patterns that enable them to survive i think the Ae Ae is one of the most complex and interesting of all the Bananas just from the information i have and also i believe that in understanding them we can gain a better understanding of how all Bananas grow and adapt to there environments
i hope that helped

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Chironex

I found this link to a diagram comparing the 3 types. It helps to explain the differences.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/t...c/mericomp.gif

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Scot

damaclese

thanks Scot that was good to see the different types i felt i understood but it never hurts to have a visual

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momoese

Sorry I didn't see your post. Here is the link.

Natural Selections Exotics Home Page