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Originally Posted by Simply Bananas
We drove up the hill about 10 minutes from Dominical towards San Isidro. My favorite bananas were at the road side fruit stand. I cut several fingers off the bunch and in my best Spanish asked the lady the name of them. She looked at me with a tilted head and said, "ba-nan-na". I smiled and laughed and agreed and picked up the other types. Finally she said "criollo"!
I think Lorax told me what they were called once, but the locals called them, "Criollos". They were cavendish proportionately, but were thin and had very little neck.
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We would need to see the whole plant, and especially a few shots of the bunch to see what they are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lorax
We have those here, as well. Also called Criollos. I assumed from flavour and size that they were Pisang Klotek.
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'Pisang Klotek' is a Mysore, but those fruits really do not look much at all like Mysore. They look somewhat more like a Gros Michel of some sort, maybe a Cavendish( though they look underdeveloped either way). We really need to see the whole plant to make an ID.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simply Bananas
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They are a M. acuminata of some sort, perhaps subspecies zebrina but the taxonomy is a bit fuzzy in this area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simply Bananas
This third type was called "square" bananas by our Costa Rican guide. We saw them on the Osa Peninsula in very remote Corcovado National Parque. They were located only along the coastal trail inland about 100 meters and for at least 10 miles. I suspect they were planted as a settlers' food source when they were making the long journey up the coast.
Most fruits were not consumed by humans anymore. Our guide said he often saw Peccaries, Tapirs, Monkeys, coati Mundis, and other animals enjoying the ripe fallen bananas.
They look like our old friend Orinicos. Any other opinions?
one more pic...
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Those are certainly 'Orinoco'. Another name I have heard for them is 'Quadrano' which is reference to their 4-sided, "square" fruit.