PamaKane

I work at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and we planted several varieties of bananas this past spring. Now we're enjoying a veritable bonanza as many of them are fruiting. This is when we realized we received some bonus bananas that we did not order. What we ordered are the following from Excelsa Gardens: Zebrina Rojo, Dwarf Cavendish, Veinte Cohol, and Thousand Fingers. This banana is clearly not any of the above. The banana shape most closely resembles a Cavendish, but the bell is humongous, much larger than a Cavendish. The bell also looks different. The closest match I could find by pictorial comparsions is Gran Nain. Let me know what you think, thanks!

venturabananas

It is in the Cavendish subgroup. If I had to guess, it is either a very healthy and happy Dwarf Cavendish (which could explain the large bud and bunch) or a Grand Nain. The main distinguishing feature between those two is the height of the plant. How tall is this one to the top of the pseudostem, i.e., where the bunch emerged? If it's in the 4-6' range, then it is almost certainly Dwarf Cavendish, but if it's 6-9', then it is most likely Grand Nain.

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