PhilMarkey

Hi Guys,
I've been visiting Taiwan for 23 years, and I obviously speak Chinese. I know all the wild bananas very well.
I just thought I might mention that I have two upcoming tours to Taiwan in 2019 for small groups (6 people). Both tours are titled "Birds and Botany", and I've built the itinerary around where the birds are to be seen, but the plants are to be seen in these locations too. If everyone in a group are only interested in bananas then that is what it will be. Not birds.
As it is, only the expedition visits all the bananas, as the tour bypasses Musa itinerans var. kavalanensis. But if you prefer to be on the tour and need to see this species then you could arrive a couple of days earlier and I could run a pre-tour to go see it. The tour is staying each night in comfortable hotels. The expedition includes 5 nights sleeping in hammocks in wilderness locations, which might not be everyone's preference.
The species we will see in the wild include:
Musa itinerans var. kavalanensis
Musa itinerans var. formosana at varying elevations.
Musa itinerans var. chinensis
Musa itinerans var. chiumei
Musa itinerans "Insularimontana" the wild banana on Lanyu island that has been known as M. insularimontana since 1913.
Musa textilis var. tashiroi there are only two individual plants of this on Lanyu island.
And the last species is Musa balbisiana which is a larger plant than the Japanese M. balbisiana var. liukiuensis

There will be many other plants that may interest some people including 6 native palms of which the endemic Pinanga tashiroi is one, and over 600 species of fern, and many many gingers and bamboos.

I'll just mention there is another tour not listed, which is a group of Australians only looking for ferns on their tour, they may have a space available.

The website: https://www.nature-expeditions.co.uk/ Look under "Tours" in the menu. Thank you for your time!
Cheers,
Phil

__________________
I'm the seed dealer at www.trebrown.com

Bydia

What is the technical name of the banana that is yellow, curved and commonly found in stores?
Has this kind of banana always been curved?
I have heard that man has altered them and that is why they are curved, but I have lived in Taichung, Taiwan about 21 years now and am sure that I've seen wild banana trees that would not have been altered. Therefore, I believe them to always have been curved.
I find it interesting that there is tour group coming to look at them. Taiwan has a lot of good fruit.

PhilMarkey

Welcome to Bananas Bydia

As bananas grow longer they often become more curved. But they're curved due to the way they form in the bunch.

The Taiwan wild bananas are quite short fat fruits.



UPDATE There is a new Taiwan tour date for autumn 2019 (focused only on botany) not birds! Looks like there's only 3 places left now though!

Cheers!
Phil

__________________
I'm the seed dealer at www.trebrown.com