JuniPerez

I have two Musa basjoos and two Musa sikkimensis planted, and they've been growing fine - I'd say healthy and happy, pups and all.

The sikkimensis will have a leaf pop out with a red stripe or two (or an attempt to grow a stripe of some sort) now and then, but all the leaves have the nice coppery/reddish underside. Now, the basjoos don't have that coppery underside, they're nice and green, but I recently got one leaf growing out of one of them with a couple of reddish/maroon stripes on it. Is it possible that the basjoo is really a sikkimensis, even without the coppery underside? Or will a basjoo spit out an odd striped leaf on occasion? I want to make sure that it's a sikki, I'm not calling it a basjoo accidentally.

Bananaman88

Try to get us some pics of the leaves with the striping. I have never heard of M. basjoo having any markings on the leaves so it sounds like you may very well have something other than basjoo.

JuniPerez

Thanks for responding. I also failed to mention that the stripes are on the underside of the leaf.

Here's the back of the leaf: http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...f7fa5a347b.jpg

Here is the same leaf, front view, no markings: http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...677b8857d3.jpg

asacomm

Hello Juni Perez,

It doesn't seem to me that the leaf of the picture is of Bajoo. That must
be of other species like Sikkimensis.

The most distinctive difference between Basjoo and Sikkimensis is that
there is no white waxy power like material on the stem of Basjoo, while
there is a lot of white material on the stem of Sikkimensis.
If you compere them, then you can see which is Basjoo and which is
Sikkimensis.

JuniPerez

Thanks asacomm.

The two Sikkis DO have the white waxy powder... I haven't noticed any on the "basjoos" at all but I'll take a closer look once I get home.

Gabe15

I have seen that type of light coloration on M. basjoo before, I wouldn't be alarmed by it.

You can see in this photo some of that same type of coloration I had on a M. basjoo once.

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

Bananaman88

I'd go with Gabe on this. I was picturing much more defined and distinctive markings in my mind based on the description from your first post. Now that I see the photos you posted, they are nothing like what I was imagining.