Musa Blue Java (Ice Cream)

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Contents

Cultivar Name

Botanical name:-Musa acuminata ss. Java Blue( Moo-suh)(ah-kew-min-AH-tuh)


Synonyms

Ice cream Banana, Dwarf Blue Java Banana, Ney Mannan.

Pictures

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(credit the flying dutchman)

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(credit Gabe15)

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(credit Gabe15)





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Credit: Mike Wang


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Credit: Mike Wang



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Credit: Mike Wang


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Credit: Mike Wang



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Credit: Mike Wang


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Credit: Mike Wang


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Credit: Mike Wang



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Credit: Mike Wang



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Credit: Mike Wang

Description

This hardy, cold tolerant banana plant reaches up to 15 feet in height. In spite of its height, it stands up to the wind well having a strong stem and root system. The pseudostem is prone to leaning quite a bit if there is a large bunch of bananas developing, so propping or support is recommended. The leaves are a silver-green color. The unripe fruit is an unusual and highly attractive blue-green color, making it a centerpiece for discussion. Once mature, the fruit is medium sized and the flesh is mostly white with a slight yellow tinge. Peel initially turns pure yellow, but at peak ripeness (1-3 days later), it has some brown or black spots on it. Flavor is tart with a hint of sweetness. Texture is slightly denser than whipped cream, but not much: it's very fluffy and creamy. This feature alone may be the reason the cultivar has been named Ice Cream.


  • Genetic Group -

ABB 2n=22

Origin

Java island, Indonesia.

  • Date realized in trade - Exact date unknown but was cataloged in 1956 Simmons (Possibly earlier 1813 but with errors)

Usage

Desert banana

Flowering

  • Time To Bloom - 15 to 24 months


  • Time To Harvest - 115 to 150 days
CA ~ 6 months
  • Outdoors in Northern California, it took a few days shy of 1 year from first bloom to harvest. In the tropics, it's reported to take roughly 6 months.

Cultivation

  • Mature Height -

Up to 15 feet. CA ~ 12 ft

  • Survival Zone -

8-10

  • Fruiting Zone - CA zone 9 unprotected p-stem
  • Cold Hardiness - CA zone 9 unprotected p-stem.

Cold tolerant

  • Wind - In spite of its height,

it stands up to the wind well

  • Pseudostems get top heavy and can fall over if you have heavy bunches of fruit. Propping advised.

Full sun. Handles hot dry conditions well. Leaves fold above 100 degrees F. Observed little or no sunburn.

  • Taste Description - tart with little sweetness to balance it out. Need to wait 2-3 days after peel turns yellow for peak ripeness. Texture-wise, it's slightly more dense than whipped cream:it's very light, creamy, and fluffy.
  • Personal Notes -

Pups well.

  • Growth tips - This rather tallish banana grows well in a variety of climates, does well in containers and fruits easily. Likes evenly moist, well-draining soil with fairly high levels of organics mixed and mulched. Tolerates sun but at higher elevations needs a fair amount of sun protection. Has shown good resistance to winds in excess of 50 mph. In arid climates has shown some susceptibility to high ph 7.0. Will turn yellow with too much potassium and is not a fast grower in low humidity. Folds leaves at high temps but recovers at night. Over all this is a moderately tough subspecies. Protect fruit in high temps by placing light colored paper over top of fruit. Do not fertilize during fruiting. If the temps are high, fruit will turn black and rot. Has shown a weaker Pseudo stem and needs propping when fruiting to keep plant from falling over from the heavy weight of fruit.


Known Afflictions

  • Pests - Borers, grasshoppers, and root nematodes


  • Susceptible Diseases - Panama disease and Black Sigatoka


  • Resistant Diseases -

Research Notes

  • Links to useful discussion threads in the forum:

1) Ice Cream aka Blue Java Grow and taste report: http://www.bananas.org/f2/musa-ice-cream-blue-java-grow-48530.html

  • Typical Price Range -

USD$35 for a healthy, ID verified sword sucker, if not a bit more. The real Ice Cream aka Blue Java is surprisingly rare in the US, and currently not widely available via tissue culture as of 2018. Vendors commonly mis-represent Namwah or other varieties as being Ice Cream, so it may appear more common online than it actually is (buyers beware!)

Members Growing This Banana

External

  • Sources