chong

I just reviewed his ad. I still think it's a banana, not Heliconia. Heliconias have thicker, harder looking pstem and petioles. The plant in the photo has succulent looking pstem and petioles.

Besides, regarding the lack of root: his ad says that he digs them out just before shipping. If you want the roots to be left with the pup, tell him so when you pay.

When they shipped planting corms across the Philippines, they cut out the roots, clean them and dry them out a bit before packing. It is not an unusual procedure to remove the roots for shipping, esp. if it might take a week to get to where they're being shipped.

Before planting, the corms are soaked in 115degF water for 15 minutes, followed by soaking in 125degF water for another 15 minutes. After that, they are dusted or sprayed with fungicide and/or insecticide, either organic or chemical. Not everyone use insecticides, though. The warm soaking process usually brings out bugs that may hitchhiked on the corms.

I would order one just to satisfy myself for the controversy. But I have issues with Sellers that do not post the shipping cost in their ad. I hate to be surprised by the higher cost of shipping, just to make up for the low price. Some Sellers purposely under value their product but overprice their shipping charges. That way, if you return the item, they've already made their profit via the shipping, and they have their product back to sell to some other Sucker.