Yug

OK, you 'nanner experts. I've had these two plants growing next to each other for a while now, and I was suspicioius, at first, that one was mislabeled. Now, since they are larger, and I'm seeing more and more differences, I'm sure of it. I want your opinions to ensure that I'm not just imagining things. The one on the left in the photos had those burgandy marks on the leave while small, but the one on the right did not. Now I'm seeing that the left one has a mostly green p-stem, and the right one has much more pink. The left one has a lower leaf where the petiole is a lighter color, but that leaf is dying and losing its green so it doesn't count.

The left one has shorter wider leaves with about an 8 inch petiole, while the right one has longer narrower leaves with about a 14 inch petiole. I moved around to ensure that those petiole photos were the same distance from the camera.

They were both sold as Manzano, but I suspect the left one is a dwarf Brazilian (shorter petioles), and the pink stem and longer leaved one is an actual Manzano. Oh, they are the same age, and were planted at the same time, and based on the suns movement they both get equal exposure.

What about it 'nanner folk?

leaves - shorter and wider on left, longer and thinner on right


p-stems - green on left, pink on right


short petiole (8 inch)


longer petiole (14 inch)

bananimal

I'll look tomorrow. Have both varieties but it's too dark now.

Where did you buy them from?

Yug

A local plant shop called Ko'olau Farmers. They buy from a number of local nurseries. They once had some Siam Ruby in pots that was not even tagged. Sometimes I wonder if they really know what they are selling.

These were both tagged as Manzano on one side, and Lady Finger on the other.

bananimal

Checked my Raja and Manzano.

The Raja has wider shorter leaves than Manzano and shorter 8" leaf petiole.



My Manzano (real deal variety), has longer narrower leaves and a 12" leaf petiole. Even at this smaller size - it's still a pup.



Dan

jeffreyp

looks like manzano to me...

NANAMAN

When it blooms you can tell for sure, here's a few pictures to compare with.
8 to 9 hand average per bunch, well grown bunches can produce 12 hands. Also
non-uniform bunch spacing

notice the irregular spacing between hands at top half of the bunch

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Yug

Thanks!

The one on the right is the one I'll be keeping, then. Once the Left one has fruited, all the pups go to my neighbors. I already have a dwarf Brazilian - which is what I suspect that one really is since there were other pots of that nearby when I got these two.

Do other Manzanos have that pink color, too? I generally prefer a few different shades besides green in the 'nanners I grow.

Oh, about the pink, I just realized that I'm in a high light intensity area, and unless others have similar conditions, those bananas may not develop the extra color even if they have the trait.

venturabananas

Yug, I don't think the pink petioles is a typical trait of Manzano, but it can develop from certain environmental conditions. Apparently, a classic symptom of nitrogen deficiency is some bananas is pink petioles. I've seen it in some of mine, and when I feed them, it goes away. Not saying you aren't fertilizing enough, but it is a possibility. Many of the foliage color traits seem to be strongly environmentally influenced, and not reliable traits to distinguish varieties.

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Yug

I've seen orchids show a greater amount of red or purple in the leaves if exposed to more intense light. Bananas may do the same, and these get rather intense afternoon sun exposure. Regarding the nitrogen, I don't that is what is going on since I 'heavily' fertilize with composted steer manure - it acts as mulch and fertilizer both.

venturabananas

I don't doubt that it could be light, but I don't know enough to be sure. I've seen the same thing in orchids that you mention. I do know that light does affect how much dark coloration you get on the p-stem -- more shade = darker p-stem. My main point was that petiole color isn't a reliable characteristic.

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