Rare unknown banana plant
 

Hi:
I was just reading a few days ago about a rare banana variety that keeps the raceme/fruit bunch inside the actual stem of the plant???. I can't find any photos of it or the site where I read about it. It is known as "pregnant banana". Does anyone have heard of this before???? I know that under certain circumstances due to some trauma to the plant this can happen as an isolated event, but not as a natural event for a banana plant.
Does anyone have photos of this plant? Flower? fruit bunch?

Thanks,

Carlos(tropicalkid in NC)

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

I've read about it before ...I believe is is called "HAPAI"
webebananas.com

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Yep, its Hapai. Which means Pregnant in Hawaiian. Not trying to be smart, just saying. I cant wait to get mine! But itll be small because itll be a TC. Speaking of...I need to learn more about how to take better care of TCs...

Taylor

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

This is the fruit and Bunch.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Yes, it's full name is 'Mai'a Hapai', I have only seen one here. It is a diploid, and the bunch starts out in the pseudostem and when it gets big enough it will bust out of the side (however some assistance is often given by the grower). NOTE: Except for the last one of the mature bunch, these photos are not mine, I found them somewhere on the internet years ago and I don't remember where.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Is that just not AWSOME!!!!

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

When it happened to my Sumatrana X, it was called choking. Maybe it was really a new "pregnant" banana.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

I wonder if you cross this plant with a double-"mahoi"...twins???:twonanners:




Carlos(tropicalkid in NC)

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

:woohoonaner:that has got to be the stangest Banan I've seen yet

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Just as a note to everyone, I have this banana growing both in the ground and in TC, so hopefully in the near future I will have some plants to distribute of it.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Sign me up!

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Me too! Maybe I can find one while I'm in Hawaii in two weeks.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

You can see the plants growing at the Amy Greenwell garden, they have a very large stand. They also have lots of other Hawaiian traditional bananas, and as I remember about 4-5 (maybe more) stands of A'ea'e as well.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Mahalo Gabe! I will be in Hawaii in less than two weeks :woohoonaner:. We are planning to go to the Amy Greenwell Garden. I will post pictures of all that I see and bring back.

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

Do you think this plant was the inspiration for the final scene of "Alien"?

Re: Rare unknown banana plant
 

That’s an pong moan .