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Davey · 08-02-2016, 05:16 PM

Our grocery stores have been carrying a "plantain" cooking banana for years. It's a bit longer than the usual standard yellow bananas ('Cavendish'?) , usually sold fairly green, and when cooked tastes kind of like a mild - flavored sweet potato. We like using it in Spanish-style recipes.

Does anyone know what the cultivar name might be, and is it possible to grow here in Baton Rouge, LA, USDA Zone 8b?

After finding out our "edible banana" was not a 'Cavendish' but an 'Orinoco' / Burro Banana (which explains a LOT!!!! ) , and usually considered a cooking banana, I'm now wondering if it would be significantly different than a backyard-grown plantain.

Now I'm wondering about the i.d. of another banana plant we bought from a small Lafayette, LA nursery 2 yrs ago. They had lost or were not sure of the cv name, but said it did well in our area and had a sweet and delicious fruit to be eaten out-of-hand. It has gotten off to a slow start, but seems to be taking off now. No blooms yet....it's only 3' tall, with leaves no more than 2' long so far, but it does have a distinct powdery blue-ish blush on the underside of the leaves. The leaves are all green, with some of the leaves having a slight maroon midrib.

Would like to i.d. it before trying to get a 'Nam Wah', which sounds like a good one for us.

Any ideas? I know it's not much to go on......but would really like to avoid duplication as garden space is of course at a premium.

What would be the 2nd most likely edible cv for our area? (Now I know I have the 1st----'Orinoco'---thanks to y'all!!!! )

Thanks in advance....again......

Miriam and Rex Davey
Baton Rouge LA

08-02-2016, 05:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Davey Location: Lacombe, LA Zone: USDA 9 a Name: Davey Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 32 BananaBucks : 9,292 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 20 Times Was Thanked 25 Times in 13 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Plantain (cooking banana) for Zone 8b? Our grocery stores have been carrying a "plantain" cooking banana for years. It's a bit longer than the usual standard yellow bananas ('Cavendish'?) , usually sold fairly green, and when cooked tastes kind of like a mild - flavored sweet potato. We like using it in Spanish-style recipes. Does anyone know what the cultivar name might be, and is it possible to grow here in Baton Rouge, LA, USDA Zone 8b? After finding out our "edible banana" was not a 'Cavendish' but an 'Orinoco' / Burro Banana (which explains a LOT!!!! ) , and usually considered a cooking banana, I'm now wondering if it would be significantly different than a backyard-grown plantain. Now I'm wondering about the i.d. of another banana plant we bought from a small Lafayette, LA nursery 2 yrs ago. They had lost or were not sure of the cv name, but said it did well in our area and had a sweet and delicious fruit to be eaten out-of-hand. It has gotten off to a slow start, but seems to be taking off now. No blooms yet....it's only 3' tall, with leaves no more than 2' long so far, but it does have a distinct powdery blue-ish blush on the underside of the leaves. The leaves are all green, with some of the leaves having a slight maroon midrib. Would like to i.d. it before trying to get a 'Nam Wah', which sounds like a good one for us. Any ideas? I know it's not much to go on......but would really like to avoid duplication as garden space is of course at a premium. What would be the 2nd most likely edible cv for our area? (Now I know I have the 1st----'Orinoco'---thanks to y'all!!!! ) Thanks in advance....again...... Miriam and Rex Davey Baton Rouge LA