Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Yo Guys & Gals,



I thought I should share with you a pix of my new brood of 7 Ensete livinstonianum which were germinated on 3rd Sept. I bought the sds from rarepalmseeds. These guys like the germination a little on the hot side like 100F+ during the day and high 80F at night. I left the sds in an enclosed plastic box and it took just 29 days for them to sprout. 5 came out at the same time and 2 days later the other 2. The seedling in a different color pot at the end is an Ensete ventricosum which germinated at about the same time. So from now it would be interesting to see how they will become as big plants.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

way to go Tog Tan i my self have done the EV they started geminatimg for me in 5 days but i held them in hot 100+ deg water for 4 days befor i planted them your all look vary healthy good luck with them by the way were are you located?

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Hi Tog Tan, thanks for the info. I don't know why rarepalmseeds.com is calling this banana Ensete livingstonianum...it is E. gilletii. E. livingstonianum is a synonym, and not the recognized name (last I read, anyway).

You've got a nice bunch there! I have a couple dozen of them as well. I didn't need any heat at all to germinate mine though. The first ones came up in less than 2 weeks (about 13 days), at ambient room temps (around 72F). I placed them on my heat mat afterwards, and more came up, but then they took a break. I have since taken them back off of the heat to see if that triggers them to start germinating again.

Frank

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Wow, I'm so jealous! I'm nursing a EV seedling back to health after poisoning it, d'oh! It germinated after about 4 weeks in a heated propagator @ 30 degrees constant. Almost killed it with copper sulfate, had to wash its roots and re pot it, it's OK now though.

Waiting on some E. Superbum and musa sikkimensis seeds I want them to hurry up!!!

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Boy can i relate to that!!! damn seeds take there time at 46 i wander if all live long enughe to see them all mature LOL

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Hi Frank,

according to the Kew Monocot list, this is the accepted name:
Ensete livingstonianum (J.Kirk) Cheesman, Kew Bull. 2: 101 (1947 publ. 1948).
This name is accepted.
Distribution: W. Trop. Africa to Malawi
22 BEN IVO NGA SIE TOG 23 CAF CMN CON ZAI 26 ANG MLW
Lifeform: Herb. phan.
Family: Musaceae
Original Compiler: R.Govaerts

Looks like Musa livingstoniana predates M. gilletii:

Musa gilletii De Wild., Rev. Cultures Colon. 8: 102 (1900).
Musa livingstoniana J.Kirk, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 128 (1867).

I hope I got that right. Best, TOBY

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

It looks like Livingstonianum is the accepted name in Kew and E. gilletii is the synonym. Now I have to re-label my seeds. Sheesh!

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist Series

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Several of mine of finally germinated too.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Congrats Eric! So far all my 7 are doing fine and has 5 leaves to date. Keep us updated on your germination success ratio and growth of the seedlings will ya? Since there aren't many of us with this, it will be nice to learn from each other. The leaves are looking much prettier now with a pointed tip. There is a pix somewhere in the species gallery of a juvenile plant.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Seedlings at 6mths from germination



Just an update shot of my 2 sdlgs. Of the original 7, I killed 5 by the 2nd month as I used a very soggy media which I use on my musa species. These guys really can't take wet feet when young. The 3rd survivor went retard and refused to grow since then. I have a couple of new batches which were started with burnt top soil and are growing very well.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Hey Tog, what are the 2 colored musas in the pic? I'm assuming the E. livingstonianum are the 2 taller ones that I can't disinguish form my E. Glaucum seedlings here that are few months younger. Are they high color mini? Whatever they are they look great!

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Hi Bob. The colored ones are part of the bunch of M-a-s-sumatrana aka Zebrina which I germinated for landscaping. You should try these, very easy to germinate and grows very well too.

Actually you can see the difference between the E-liv and the E-gl when at this size. The E-liv has more pointed leaves and the undersurface is whiter/more glaucous.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Tog,

I just purchased a tray of Zebrina, do they sucker well? and how long as a TC liner to be able to sucker?

Michael

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Hi Michael, as far as I am aware, once they start their growth after 6 mths, they sucker like crazy. I have seen landscape clumps being removed after sometime as they grow too big. I did germn cos I was hoping (as always) to get something different, like a hi-maroon plant. I have about 20 and all survived infancy and growing very well and 2 seem to be darker then the rest. Let's hope something interesting comes out of them. :ha:

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

What a nice looking family and the twins are just darling.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Congrats... I wish we were closer, I'd be in your yard on a daily basis checking out the growth. How rewarding for you to have such success... YA DONE GOOD !!!!!!!
Christine

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

Thank you fair lady for your kind comments.

Yo Christine, wait till I post a pix of the rest germinated from the batch of the 100 sds I got. I had to do them in different batches cos the repotting is killing. I didn't know how to take care of a newly germinated Ensete earlier but now all's solved and they grow like crazy. However, they are real ugly 'leggy' ducklings as James calls them! :ha: They only take off in their growth after the 4mth from seed.

Re: Re : New Ensete livinstonianum seedlings
 

:woohoonaner: The Ugly Ducklings always turn out to be the Beautiful Swans
Christine