JaredZone9a

Anybody know?

Valor_X

Fruiting Banana? I think it's the California Gold

It's a super dwarf version of Orinoco (Different than Dwarf Orinoco)

Musa California Gold - Bananas Wiki

One of the most cold hardy edible bananas. This banana was first obtained by Jeff Earl from Texas during the 1990's. This banana's close relatives have been grown all over in Central Mexico and the cold-hardy ones in Texas, and was called 'Hardy Mexican Apple Banana', although it is not related to the banana Manzano or banana Apple-cultivar. California gold is more related to 'Dwarf Orinoco'. California gold differ a bit from Dwarf Orinoco in the California Gold generally fruit between 4ft to 7f at the pseudostem, while dwarf Orinoco fruit at 6ft tall or more at the pseudostem. California Gold fruits are more rounded. It is one of the first to start growing in the spring, about the same time as Musa Basjoo

Mature Height - 5 to 7 feet

Survival Zone - Zone 8(according to JEarl)

Fruiting Zone - 9

Cold Hardiness -Zone 8

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Varieties I'm Growing

From Corm/Pup
Dwarf Cavendish ○ Super Dwarf Cavendish ○ Grand Nain ○ Niño ○ Manzano ○ Raja Puri ○ Tall Namwah ○ Blue Java ○ 1000 Fingers ○ Praying Hands ○ Orinoco ○ Variegated Florida ○ PR Red ○ California Gold ○ FHIA-03 Sweetheart

Plantains
Puerto Rican Dwarf Plantain ○ African Rhino Horn

From TC
Truly Tiny ○ Manzano ○ "Blue Java" ○ Dwarf Namwah ○ Thai Black ○ Veinte Cohol

Akula

California Gold, Texas Star, and Dwarf Orinoco are the same thing.

The same banana plant will grow differently based on the different volume of nutrients i.e. less heat and water= small banana plant= California. More heat and water=bigger banana plant=Florida. Soil conditions can effect flavor.

I agreee that Dwarf Orinoco aka California Gold, aka Texas Star, is probably the most cold hardy fruiting banana plant.

Valor_X

Do you have any proof/source that they are the same?

According to the Wiki, Cali Gold is in fact different than Dwarf Orinoco, even the fruit is supposed to be slightly rounder.

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Varieties I'm Growing

From Corm/Pup
Dwarf Cavendish ○ Super Dwarf Cavendish ○ Grand Nain ○ Niño ○ Manzano ○ Raja Puri ○ Tall Namwah ○ Blue Java ○ 1000 Fingers ○ Praying Hands ○ Orinoco ○ Variegated Florida ○ PR Red ○ California Gold ○ FHIA-03 Sweetheart

Plantains
Puerto Rican Dwarf Plantain ○ African Rhino Horn

From TC
Truly Tiny ○ Manzano ○ "Blue Java" ○ Dwarf Namwah ○ Thai Black ○ Veinte Cohol

Akula

No. How do you prove a made up name? LOL.

Cali Gold is just a made up name for marketing. I have a Florida Platinum. Kinda looks like a Dwarf Orinoco but it fruits at 5-6 feet consistently and the bananas are a bit sweeter than the normal Dwarf Orinoco. See? The Wiki is not scientific or 100% authoritive in all matters. Its very common for the same banana plant variety to have multiple names.

The most authoritive member on this site is Gabe. Maybe he will drop by and clarify this issue.

Gabe15

There is no doubt that 'California Gold' is a 'Dwarf Orinoco', the question is does it live up to being a slightly enhanced form of 'Dwarf Orinoco'? There is a slim possibility that the exact 'California Gold' lineage as sold from the original "finder", I believe a Jeff Earl, may in fact be more cold hardy and have other minute differences from the common 'Dwarf Orinoco', but I have not seen that demonstrated to any degree of certainty. I err on the side of assuming there is no real difference, and any originally observed differences can easily be explained by variation in environment and lack of a rigorously controlled comparison. Without a well designed experimental comparison there really is no way to be sure, but it is highly unlikely.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

JaredZone9a

So far I keep hearing Dwarf Orinoco and Basjoo.

Either way...I need to get one of these. :-)

Valor_X

Very interesting... looks like there is a lot of uncertainty, even from Gabe : o

I acquired a 'true' California Gold last year from a fellow enthusiast in California who said he also knows for a fact he got it from the original source.

Looks like I can be the one to put this to the test...
I just need to acquire a 'regular' Dwarf Orinoco and I can grow them side by side in containers with the same conditions: soil, watering, sun, fertilizer.
If I do, I'll make a thread and keep everyone posted

__________________
Varieties I'm Growing

From Corm/Pup
Dwarf Cavendish ○ Super Dwarf Cavendish ○ Grand Nain ○ Niño ○ Manzano ○ Raja Puri ○ Tall Namwah ○ Blue Java ○ 1000 Fingers ○ Praying Hands ○ Orinoco ○ Variegated Florida ○ PR Red ○ California Gold ○ FHIA-03 Sweetheart

Plantains
Puerto Rican Dwarf Plantain ○ African Rhino Horn

From TC
Truly Tiny ○ Manzano ○ "Blue Java" ○ Dwarf Namwah ○ Thai Black ○ Veinte Cohol

Gabe15

To have it be a real comparison, there should be a minimum of 3 plants of each, and they must be the same type of material, ie suckers taken at the same size, and treated the exact same for their whole life. You would really have to evaluate them over at least a 3 year period as well to have any certainty, especially if we are talking about them being able to fruit in a marginal climate, otherwise it's just more anecdotal hearsay. If was doing a real field comparison, which I have for other types, I normally have about 50 plants of each in a mixed block planting, and evaluate for 2-3 years.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

JaredZone9a

It’s really crazy how hard it is to tell one species from the next. This gives the sellers opportunity to say...I have a verified Blue Java for sale. Lol


I don’t know...it just seems that there would be an easier way to identify these different species. I come from the Reefing world and there’s thousands of coral species and each coral has unique identifiers. However, when you get into algae and fish parasites and protozoa it takes microscopic analysis to determine what’s actually going on in the aquarium sometimes. That may be the case here. A simple microscope for our needs looking at banana leaves is very cheap. You would not need very much magnification at all. Not even 40x. A $150-$200 cheap microscope would suffice. I’d be willing to bet that a real Blue Java, Namwa, Orinoco, Cavendish, etc. all have somewhat slightly different characteristics under a scope. It could be on the pstem, leaves, etc. I think the problem is that growers are developing hybrids, but they should still have unique identifiers maybe of both plants.


So does anybody know the easiest way to identify a banana plant other than height or the color/size/taste of the fruit?

JaredZone9a

A couple interesting studies:

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6377276.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/profile...ication_detail

Akula

Don't forget to get a Texas Star to complete the Dwarf Orinoco trifecta. LOL.

In all seriousness if you want to increase your banana plant's cold hardiness increase the potassium in your fertilizer program a bit. This helps to lower the freezing point of the plant.

cincinnana

Do check out the extensive list on the thread COLD HARDY BANANAS...Pick and choose what is right for you.


In a container.....all of them.��

Double click the photo.....

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JaredZone9a

cincinnana you have some really nice plants man!

Mudturkle

Got anything to trade? I go to Sargent (Downey's Caney Creek Club) usually once a month. If you don't have a trade, I'd let you buy my dinner at Hartz Buffet in Clute.

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Central Texas Zone 8B and Gulf Coast zone 9B: Raja Puri, Dw. Brazilian, Dw. Orinoco, Dw. NamWah, Dw. Cavendish, Dw. Green?, Dw. Red? Iholena Tigua, Veinte Cohol, Misi Luki, Pisang Raja.

hdynad

Hello all, for me it would be dwarf orinoco, basjoo, and let me add dwarf Brazillian to that list. Dwarf Brazillian had been strong for me from the start. As you all know with the Texas freeze apocalypse lol. We went down to 6 degrees and stayed in the single digits for 4 days. .all my varieties made it in the ground. Dwarf Brazillian lost no height!, she is strong, good pupper and they taste great, also easier to grow if are a novice grower.

Happy growing
Darla

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Currently growing, , DGM Highgate, Blue Java, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Brazilian , Ensete Glaucum, Pitogo, Hoa Moa, Raja Puri, Thai Black, VG Chaing Rai, Manzano, Praying Hands. Yunnan, Hawiaan Crown, Dwarf Red Plantain

JaredZone9a

Ha! I just realized you’re in Texas! I know where Clute is. :-)

We may have to meet up one day over sometime. :-)

JaredZone9a

Dang Darla! If that thing survived that insane Texas freeze...then they will survive ANYTHING! I need one of those!

This was how it looked when I got off work that morning.

https://youtu.be/hPglcs7NA5E