So my friends went into the rural part of my city near the highway going to a party and they saw a mat of bananas; knowing me they get me to check it out yesterday and seeing as my friend has no fear (Or California Attique) he randomly knocks on the door of someone he doesn't know and starts talking to the owner.
Turns out the stand comes from some bananas brought over from hawaii from his parents 40 years ago; they grew the bananas in Fremont and used them for decoration and to wrap pigs when they did tradtional bbq's. He told me he moved them to Vacaville later and put them at the side of his house; the original stand at the current house grew on poor soil and didn't get watered and they thrived but he removed them and put them at the front of his property as a marker with equally poor, rocky and very clayey soil but is watered daily.
He has mat on another house a few yards away that was a complete mat on a completely eastern facing side his parents tend to.
Here are two pictures; he said he never has eaten them because he cuts the trunk in the winter (even though in our weather there is no need for it other then aesthetic reasons) and because ants get to them first. In about 8 mo. growth they're about 6' 6" so its really fast growing.
I got two; a water pup and a pup with no roots (beggars can't be choosers) but I am so interested in what they are! I planted both in a 2 and a half foot x two foot hole with a mix of the clayey soil from the hole, Dr.Earth microzoria potting soil, alfalfa, and the soil from the stand (hopefully with some bacteria and fungi that has been beneficial to the stand).
So what are they?