Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post)

Olafhenny · 03-13-2015, 03:30 AM

_______________________________________
Note: This is a re-posting of a thread starter, which I originally posted more than 2
weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not realize, that when I moved the photos within Flickr to
the bananas album, that changed their address and consequently the photos disappeared
from the original post. I only noticed that last night, when I re-visited the thread and
decided to do the whole thing all over again

Several years ago, when I was still very new to this forum, I 'discovered' in Vietnam what I
thought was quite a find: an ornamental banana which was small enough do raise indoors to
maturity. Some of the more experienced and therefore jaded members quickly let me know,
that it was a Musa Ornata, while not as ubiquitous as some of the others, it was certainly not
unheard of and by no means a 'discovery'.

Now I am excited again about another strictly ornamental banana, which is much more
beautiful than the Ornata. I found it in Mindo, Ecuador in our landlord's garden. What struck
me was that in the same pad there were as many as 7, maybe more, PSs either in bloom or
fruit, with the B or F ranging between 2 and 4 feet above ground. I found it significant, that so
many of these plants were in B and F at the same time, which leads me to believe, that they
either grow to fruit very quickly or maintain their gorgeous B and F for along time. Either would
be a great asset. I could confirm neither with our landlord, since his English was just as poor as
my Spanish. My request for seeds yielded me a lecture, that bananas do not grow from seeds,
but spread out of rhizomes. However upon my insistence, he broke off one of the bananas and
handed it to me.

Platanillo Panoramio by Golestan2, on Flickr

This photo shows the whole pad with the B or F visible on it numbered from 1 to 7.
#5 is about 2 feet off the ground, while #2’s height is all of 4 feet.

The Spanish name, supplied by our landlord, is 'Platanillo Panoramio'. When I googled that,
among other things a map of Ecuador popped up, with a balloon right there, where I found the
specimen. Curiously enough, when I visited parks and botanic gardens in Ecuador thereafter,
I could not find any other Platanillos Panoramio in any of them.

After some more tries Mr. Google divulged a Latin name for it (there appear to be at least two
from different "discoveries"): Musa Velutina. There are a lot of seeds in each fruit, but just
to be sure, I planned on trying to con the landlord out of another fruit, just to be sure. But,
before I could do that, my wife spotted another plant at the roadside. Same beautiful red flower
and fruit. though the plant was a tad more scraggely, which is to be expected on the side of the
road vs a well maintained garden.

DSC00574 by Golestan2, on Flickr
Even when the bloom is gone the fruit still looks very attractive.
I do not know for how long, but from all appearances a long time.

When I opened the fruit later, I discovered, that the seeds from the garden raised fruit were
tan, while the roadside raised banana yielded black seeds. In apples and pears darker seeds
indicate a more advanced state of ripeness. But I am surmising, that in this case we are dealing
with different cultivars of the same species. Nevertheless, I am keeping the seeds separate.

DSC00701 by Golestan2, on Flickr

Sorry about the bad focus, but you get the idea.

In order to learn more about these bananas and their hardiness I would like to send a few of them
to each of the following regions:
- Coastal BC HZ 8 or 9 (humid)
- Florida HZ 9, 10 or 11 (almost tropical)
- Arizona HZ 9 or 10 (arid)

The seeds are quite large, similar in shape to lentils and about 2/3rd in diameter. They may
therefore more easy to germinate than most banana seeds (or so I hope).

It is legal to import seeds into Canada (up to 9 oz of small seeds and 18 oz of large ones,
whatever that means) In the US that is not so, but I doubt, that a few seeds of a none-edible
fruit will destroy any US agricultural banana industry.

Thus if you are interested in obtaining any of the seeds, please send me a PM with your email
and snail mail address.

I only would ask you to let me know, how you are making out with your seeds and plants.
After all, my interest in all this is to learn more about the species under different conditions

Best,
Olaf
PS: The fruit are between 4 and 5 inches long

blownz281 · 03-13-2015, 05:37 PM

Sent you a pm.

Olafhenny · 03-13-2015, 08:56 PM

I will probably respond to the private mails (thank you) tonight.

For your info, there was some discussion on this banana in the original
picture-less thread, which does contain a bit more info. here:
Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available

sunfish · 03-14-2015, 12:32 AM

jmoore · 03-14-2015, 02:35 AM

That's Musa Velutina, can there be any doubt.

Olafhenny · 03-14-2015, 07:23 AM

It is very similar to M. Valentina, but not identical. The fruit is more elongated and
contains nothing remotely edible. See this thread:

http://www.bananas.org/f30/seeds-sma...ana-21754.html

sunfish · 03-14-2015, 01:11 PM

Here we go again

Richard · 03-14-2015, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

... It is legal to import seeds into Canada (up to 9 oz of small seeds and 18 oz of large ones, whatever that means). In the US that is not so, but I doubt, that a few seeds of a none-edible fruit will destroy any US agricultural banana industry.

That's not the reason for the regulation. Instead, it has to do with the introduction of pests and diseases.

Olafhenny · 03-14-2015, 06:36 PM

Sorry, Richard, that would not make any sense at all.

The dirt on my shoes and on the car tires carries infinitely more potential for
spreading pests and diseases, when I cross the border, than seeds can carry.

Richard · 03-14-2015, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

Sorry, Richard, that would not make any sense at all.
The dirt on my shoes and on the car tires carries infinitely more potential for
spreading pests and diseases, when I cross the border, than seeds can carry.

There are specific bacteria and pest eggs not found in the dirt but in flower ovums and seeds. Even seeds being shipped commercially from state to state in the U.S. must be treated. Sulfur dust is typically used at the origination site before packaging.

sunfish · 03-15-2015, 01:33 PM

[quote=Olafhenny;257497][size="3"]Sorry, Richard, that would not make any sense at all.

The dirt on my shoes and on the car tires carries infinitely more potential for
spreading pests and diseases, when I cross the border, than seeds can carry.

Wrong answer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5X8qDDMC-o

Richard · 03-15-2015, 03:11 PM

Olaf,

On the otherhand, I personally don't care if you're shipping a few seeds that you feel are disease-free. My post was only concerned with the reason for the import regulation.

03-13-2015, 03:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 271,080 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) _______________________________________ Note: This is a re-posting of a thread starter, which I originally posted more than 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not realize, that when I moved the photos within Flickr to the bananas album, that changed their address and consequently the photos disappeared from the original post. I only noticed that last night, when I re-visited the thread and decided to do the whole thing all over again Several years ago, when I was still very new to this forum, I 'discovered' in Vietnam what I thought was quite a find: an ornamental banana which was small enough do raise indoors to maturity. Some of the more experienced and therefore jaded members quickly let me know, that it was a Musa Ornata, while not as ubiquitous as some of the others, it was certainly not unheard of and by no means a 'discovery'. Now I am excited again about another strictly ornamental banana, which is much more beautiful than the Ornata. I found it in Mindo, Ecuador in our landlord's garden. What struck me was that in the same pad there were as many as 7, maybe more, PSs either in bloom or fruit, with the B or F ranging between 2 and 4 feet above ground. I found it significant, that so many of these plants were in B and F at the same time, which leads me to believe, that they either grow to fruit very quickly or maintain their gorgeous B and F for along time. Either would be a great asset. I could confirm neither with our landlord, since his English was just as poor as my Spanish. My request for seeds yielded me a lecture, that bananas do not grow from seeds, but spread out of rhizomes. However upon my insistence, he broke off one of the bananas and handed it to me. Platanillo Panoramio by Golestan2, on Flickr This photo shows the whole pad with the B or F visible on it numbered from 1 to 7. #5 is about 2 feet off the ground, while #2’s height is all of 4 feet. The Spanish name, supplied by our landlord, is 'Platanillo Panoramio'. When I googled that, among other things a map of Ecuador popped up, with a balloon right there, where I found the specimen. Curiously enough, when I visited parks and botanic gardens in Ecuador thereafter, I could not find any other Platanillos Panoramio in any of them. After some more tries Mr. Google divulged a Latin name for it (there appear to be at least two from different "discoveries"): Musa Velutina. There are a lot of seeds in each fruit, but just to be sure, I planned on trying to con the landlord out of another fruit, just to be sure. But, before I could do that, my wife spotted another plant at the roadside. Same beautiful red flower and fruit. though the plant was a tad more scraggely, which is to be expected on the side of the road vs a well maintained garden. DSC00574 by Golestan2, on Flickr Even when the bloom is gone the fruit still looks very attractive. I do not know for how long, but from all appearances a long time. When I opened the fruit later, I discovered, that the seeds from the garden raised fruit were tan, while the roadside raised banana yielded black seeds. In apples and pears darker seeds indicate a more advanced state of ripeness. But I am surmising, that in this case we are dealing with different cultivars of the same species. Nevertheless, I am keeping the seeds separate. DSC00701 by Golestan2, on Flickr Sorry about the bad focus, but you get the idea. In order to learn more about these bananas and their hardiness I would like to send a few of them to each of the following regions: - Coastal BC HZ 8 or 9 (humid) - Florida HZ 9, 10 or 11 (almost tropical) - Arizona HZ 9 or 10 (arid) The seeds are quite large, similar in shape to lentils and about 2/3rd in diameter. They may therefore more easy to germinate than most banana seeds (or so I hope). It is legal to import seeds into Canada (up to 9 oz of small seeds and 18 oz of large ones, whatever that means) In the US that is not so, but I doubt, that a few seeds of a none-edible fruit will destroy any US agricultural banana industry. Thus if you are interested in obtaining any of the seeds, please send me a PM with your email and snail mail address. I only would ask you to let me know, how you are making out with your seeds and plants. After all, my interest in all this is to learn more about the species under different conditions Best, Olaf PS: The fruit are between 4 and 5 inches long __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-13-2015, 05:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
blownz281 Location: Coastal NC Find me on the map! Zone: 8b coastal Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,373 BananaBucks : 421,872 Feedback: 6 / 100% Said "Thanks" 440 Times Was Thanked 756 Times in 534 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 14 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) Sent you a pm.

03-13-2015, 08:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 271,080 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) I will probably respond to the private mails (thank you) tonight. For your info, there was some discussion on this banana in the original picture-less thread, which does contain a bit more info. here: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-14-2015, 12:32 AM	#4 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,260,051 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,593 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) ? Last edited by sunfish : 03-14-2015 at 06:09 AM.

03-14-2015, 02:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
jmoore jmoore 's Photo Gallery Location: Lowestoft, UK Zone: 8a Name: James Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 766 BananaBucks : 137,289 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 192 Times Was Thanked 799 Times in 373 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) That's Musa Velutina, can there be any doubt.

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
	The most chatters online in one day was 17, 09-06-2009. No one is currently using the chat.

03-14-2015, 07:23 AM	#6 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 271,080 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) It is very similar to M. Valentina, but not identical. The fruit is more elongated and contains nothing remotely edible. See this thread: http://www.bananas.org/f30/seeds-sma...ana-21754.html __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-14-2015, 01:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,260,051 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,593 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) Here we go again

03-14-2015, 06:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 271,080 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) Sorry, Richard, that would not make any sense at all. The dirt on my shoes and on the car tires carries infinitely more potential for spreading pests and diseases, when I cross the border, than seeds can carry. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-15-2015, 01:33 PM	#11 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,260,051 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,593 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) [quote=Olafhenny;257497][size="3"]Sorry, Richard, that would not make any sense at all. The dirt on my shoes and on the car tires carries infinitely more potential for spreading pests and diseases, when I cross the border, than seeds can carry. Wrong answer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5X8qDDMC-o

03-15-2015, 03:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 740,300 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,537 Times in 4,719 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available (re-post) Olaf, On the otherhand, I personally don't care if you're shipping a few seeds that you feel are disease-free. My post was only concerned with the reason for the import regulation. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Seeds for small, exceptinally beautiful ornamental banana available	Olafhenny	Banana Seed Germination Forum	4	02-25-2015 11:50 PM
She's a Beautiful Royal Hawaiian Manini Banana	PR-Giants	Main Banana Discussion	0	05-29-2014 02:36 PM
Tell about and post your beautiful colors.	KYpalmer	Tiki Hut	5	02-16-2013 08:11 PM
Ornamental Banana Seeds	mtucker777	Main Banana Discussion	5	10-05-2010 04:05 AM
Wanted: Helen's Hybrid seeds or small plant	Gabe15	Banana Plants Wanted	16	05-18-2009 01:58 AM