51st state

before i go wading in with both feet and buy both, are they the same or not?

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Tropicallvr

It's hard to say if they are the same, but red tiger was for sale before Manipur came on the market. Manipur is likely very hardy(probally just as hardy as red tiger, and they might look exactly the same also, but from different locations.).

mrbungalow

I have not grown manipur, but Red Tiger and Regular Sikkimensis seem to differ. The red tiger seedlings are not as vigourous compared to regular sikkimensis. Also, stems on the red tiger appear to be more yellow. The roots also look different: thinner and more threadlike on red tiger.

At first I was sure the whole "red tiger" deal was just an exageration to boost sales for seed-dealers. But now I am getting second thoughts.

According to Phil at Trebrown, the red tiger inhabits a different niche/habitat than regular sikkimensis. Red tiger is said to grow in dryer conditions. Regular sikkims grow in the wet mountainous areas of northern india.

I am also growing "Darjeeling giant", wich is a cross between sikkimensis and "something", probably balbisiana... These seedlings show very little vigour compared to regular sikkimensis and the super-vigourous "Helens hybrid". Then again, when bananas are past the 8-leaf seedling-stage they usually take off nicely.

Erlend

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mrbungalow

Europalms' Musa sikkimensis "Manipur"

Seed grown Musa Sikkimensis (in middle) with seed-source "Banana-tree.com"


I can't see any difference between manipur and regular sikkim.

Erlend

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Mark Hall

Kev you will also come across Sikki Red Dragon and Sikki Red Flash.

The same plant probably just different sellers trying to make you think theres another type around.

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Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

mrbungalow

Yes, I agree with mark. This also seems to be the case with ensete ventricosum to name one. I don't know how many new forms of "maurelli" have appeared lately, but it's quite a few.. -All purplish red.

In business, the more segmented a market is, the more cash you can pull out of the market. Why should the plant-trade be any different? Especially in online seed-dealing where confusion about names has allready reached the point of anarchy. You might not even manage to sprout the seeds, sometimes wait years for physical characteristics to appear, and on top of this consider genetic variation in seeds! By the time you have a mature plant you will forget where and how you got it! The seed trade can be an unmoral marketing-segmenters dream! How many people bother to demand a refund for getting the "wrong" plants or plants that aren't as cold-hardy as they promised? I am still pretty sure a few of us would like a refund on some of those expensive "trachycarpus latisectus" seeds that hit the market a few years ago, and grew into something that certainly can't rival the good old windmill-palm!

Luckily though, there are still many great seed-dealers out there, with a burning passion about what they do. It's the ones exagarating cold hardiness and spreading false information that really ruins my day. Glad I got a chance to get this off my chest!

Erlend

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51st state

Hmmmm. just as I thought. confusion reigns in 'nana world' as usual.

Well... I've just bought 5 Sikkimensis Red Tiger plants from Germany so we'll see (cheaper than paying the crazy prices Manipur are going for in the UK).

The leaf markings (in the pics at least) look very different to Erlend's Manipur pics. I will post some as and when.

Anyway off on hols to Italia at the weekend, so its down to my next door neighbour to pot them up for me when they arrive, along with the Rajapuri's and Dwarf Brazilian's currently winging their way in from the U.S.


Spring has arrived in sunny Wiltshire in a big way, just hardening off the contents of my greenhouse 'enclosure' ready for the summer. looks like QPR have avoided the drop too, get in...

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PaulAdrian

Hi, this is my first posting
I bought a Musa Sikkimensis "Red Tiger" and got sent Ensete Maurelii, I phoned to complain and the nursery apologized and sent me what I initially thought was the right plant this time, certainly it matched the photo on their website.

However, I have since googled images of Musa Sikkimensis "Red Tiger" and then done a google image search for Musa Zebrina, low and behold, the image of the SAME PLANT appears for both.

Anyhow, my Musa Sikkimensis "Red Tiger" has pink stems, and the leaves have red blotches on them, and not stripes as I now think a Mus S. R. T. should have,

Has anyone else questioned whether they have a Mus S. R. T. or Musa Zebrina? After reading posts on hardiness, I do start to wonder..

Dalmatiansoap

Picture might help

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jmoore

Having grown both from seed, they are very different plants. Zebrina is a slender plant with narrow leaves, sikkimensis is a stocky plant with broad leaves. The colouration is also slightly different. As Ante says we need a photo really. Definately a massive difference in hardiness, Zebrina can't handle cold temperatures at all.

Welcome by the way

PaulAdrian

Thanks

Not very good at uploading photos, but the leaves have splodges of colour rather than stripes, on this website: subtropical.co.nz the picture is exactly like the Musa Sikkimensis "Red Tiger" I was supplied.

Mine also has pink stems, does Sikkimensis Red Tiger have pink stems?

Thanks for replies

jmoore

Hmmmm I've never seen a sikkimensis with pink stems.

The wrong photograph used on websites is common. There's a lot of copy and paste copy and paste that goes on and very little thought.

You must try and master uploading photos,very useful skill to have.

revensen

I have several Sikkimensis Red Tiger's grown from seed. Photos below show the leaves. Sorry for the large size of images.

PaulAdrian

Thank you for the photos, yes it confirms that what I was sent was nothing like a Musa Sikkimensis Red Tiger, mine has pink stems and blotchy red patches on leaves, I am convinced it is a Musa Zebrina, Sumatran banana, no worries, just know that here in Yorkshire it will never survive a winter, unlike Musa sikkimensis that possibly could