Solomon Islands bananas
 

I spent 3 weeks in the Solomons earlier this summer doing some research and training. I saw some 100 or so different varieties and would love to share all the photos if it was so easy, but its not, so here are some examples of the more interesting ones. I should be finished with a fun travel-log type version of my report within the next month, so when that is finished I will share it here.

I was having trouble uploading them through bananas.org, so they are hosted on Photobucket. They seem to all be displayed at full size, so sorry if it's difficult to navigate, but not too sorry because I bet you'll still think they're neat. Enjoy!





Kwaibaita Valley, Malaita island. The bananas on the left in the first photo are wild Australimusa and seem to be a new species. There were at least 2 varieties in the area (below), and from the locals descriptions, at least one other species on the island.







'Broken Heart', a local favorite for dessert and cooking. It is a small plant (4-6ft) with relatively large fruit (8-12in) and normally begins fruiting about 6-7 months after planting. In the Solomons, to have a "broken heart" over something means you love it very much, and indeed this banana was loved as evidenced by its planting in massive numbers around many villages.


'Five Minute', named so because of its quick cooking time over a fire. The fruit is very long and slender, and the pulp is also rather airy and soft (not dense at all) and so altogether seem to give it the advantage when you need a quick snack out in the bush. It is also highly esteemed by young children and the elderly due to its soft texture.



Unknown on Makira island. Even my local banana expert guide who had gone all around Makira collecting bananas had never seen this one before. It is was in someones yard, we were in a bit of a rush to get back to the airport so couldn't stop long, my camera also fogged up and so it was hard to get good photos. It is obviously an edible cultivar, but seems to be a hybrid Musa section/Australimusa section which are known from other areas but quite rare.


'Toraka Gatagata', one of the at least 9 Fe'i bananas on Makira. Within the Solomons, Makira is often jokingly referred to as "banana island" because of the higher dependency of banana as a food source there. Makira has many varieties (probably over 100) and is one of the few hot spots of Fe'i banana left in the Pacific.


'Chuchu chichi', a Maoli/Popo'ulu subgroup member, closely related to the well known 'Hua Moa', which gets quite tall and normally has reddish-orange fruits. This particular bunch was covered in vines and thus hidden from the sun which seems to have left it with only hints of orange on the skin. "Chuchu" is the basic name for these types of banana on Guadalcanal island (where photo was taken), and "chichi" means red.


'Mota Pasa', appearing to be a Pisang Awak (or close to it) subgroup member with dark brown/black petioles and midribs. "Pasa" is a the term used when applying mud on your skin for various rituals, as this banana appears to have done to it's petioles.


'Ruhuvia Chichi', a nice little plant with brilliantly colored pink/red fruits.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

You must have felt like you were in heaven....other than the temps!:ha:
Great stuff Gabe!

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Wow awesome!

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

That is indeed awesome Gabe!!! You must have had a great time there! Thank you very much for sharing these awesome photos with us,and in full size! :woohoonaner:

The bananas there are truly spectacular!

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Inspiring. So many bananas still unknown to the rest of the world. Was any attempt made to bring some of the varieties back for propagation?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

The job was to evaluate some collections that have already been set up and identify which varieties are in most need on conservation. From there, the selected varieties will be put in vitro in Fiji for conservation and propagation for farmers in the Solomans.

It would have been too difficult to try to import any suckers, especially since I only found out I was going about 1 week beforehand. Perhaps at some point they will end up in the international genebank in Belgium, but I don't know when.

There are some unique varieties for sure, but many of them are also the same as in Papua New Guinea and there has been some relatively large collecting missions already done there, so not everything is totally unknown.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Explain to me one more time why you didn't take US with you.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Is the purple serum typical of Australimusa, or ??

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Purple sap is common in Australimusa, but there are some that do not have it too. Additionally, there are some non-Australimusa that have reddish or purpleish sap, but they are typically not as vibrant as the colored Australimusa sap.

The purple sap is kind of a strange phenomenon though, in my experience with fe'i bananas, it depends on where you cut the plant, what angle you cut the plant, and sometimes if you re-cut a previously cut section, then it is no longer purple. I would like to experiment more to figure out what the deal is.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Thanks Gabe for the pics and uploading it. The orange banana is edible? or is seeded?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Except for the heat, Many would have loved to enjoy your trek through the islands. The vehicle sure looks out of place being all else is vegetation. The plants are beautiful and will look forward to more info on your findings.
Thanks

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Thanks for sharing, Gabe. I look forward to seeing more photos in your travel log when you get it done.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

wow fantastic pics Gabe.Will you be going back there,its like the lost world :ha:

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

It is a seeded, wild species. Many edible bananas I have tasted are quite tasty, but this one is not. It is like ripe Fe'i, kinda sour which is not necessarily bad in itself, but it is also mildly irritating to the throat. There is so little pulp there really isn't anything to eat anyways.

I would love to go again someday. The point of me going was kinda so that they don't need anymore banana scientists being sent all the way out there, so I will have to come up with a new reason! I made many friends and so have some good local contacts if I get a chance to go back.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I love that first pic you posted.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Gabe, do you have any idea what subgroup "Broken Heart" is in? Looks like all mostly A genes. With that dwarf height and popular flavor, seems like a good one for more widespread propagation. Is there anything in the same subgroup that is more readily available?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Woooa! really neat pictures and interesting beyond words.. Thanks for sharing

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Will enjoy your next posts. Take good care of yourself as many of us enjoy all you have contributed.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

It is most likely an AA. Many diploids do not have assigned subgroups as they are a very diverse lot and relatively less cultivated and less studied. The types of bananas with solid subgroups tend to be very robust, popular types that have been passed around for thousands of years. I did see a couple other varieties which are obviously closely related to 'Broken Heart', but there is no recognized subgroup and I don't think there are any closely related varieties present in the hobby market.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Bummer. Seems like a good dwarf variety will always have a home in the hobby market.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Hello gebe, I am truely a banana lover and have been for so long. There waqs a time when I had 59 varieties ob bananas in my yard, but due to the hurricanes and the winters here in Daytona Beach (zone9-b) I have lost so many. trying to keep uyp with replacement and getting them to show results I have left so much now to book knowledge and keeping up with everything I see on this site. But as I did see that you werent able to collect suckers but you managed to make connections and contacts there which is always so important. I made a friend in Borneo that was able to get me so so many of the most rare difficult and unavaible bulbs and seeds of the wonderful Amorphophallus species. That I can say that sooo many of the serious collectors here in America now have species not available at all before. So I was wanting to know was wether you managed to get some seeds of that banana that you were holding that enormous stalk? I noticed they were full of seeds. Also did that pink banana produce seeds or was it an eating banana or was it also a seede variety? Once someone shared 3 seeds of M ingens he managed to get out of Paupa N Guinea. Of which I managed to get 2 to gferminate and only grew for a few weeks adn somehow I lost them. Now that I have a greenhouse, even though it is not big enough I can keep mananas in there till they are bigger and stronger before I plant them in the ground to face a winter. Well I guess everyone is wanting seeds also, and hitting you up for them. I hope I have not gone on and on. Thanks again for yor fabulous pics and would just love to visit a paradise like that myself.
Salute'
rick

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Great pics!

The edible varieties make me curious as to how they were developed. Could they just be variations of very old edible cultivars that have been grown for centuries, that have shown some deviation of the original, and are now considered a different cultivar? I'm guessing, I don't really know how different bananas are made/bred.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I don't have seeds or plants from the trip to send out. I get asked all of the time for the many varieties I have and come across, but it is quite difficult to collect and distribute the plants safely (to avoid disease issues) and legally in some cases. I hope one day to be able to make some more varieties available, and I have in the past introduced a few varieties to nurseries which are now available in the market, but it takes a lot of time which is something I don't have a lot of these days. I recommended those wild ones be collected for the germplasm bank, so maybe one day they will be available.

The pink-fruited banana, 'Ruhuvia Chichi', is an edible banana and did not have seeds.

Yes, that is more or less how all edible bananas have become unique cultivars, as mutants from other types. This is why there are so many varieties which are very similar, but differ in some small ways such as height, pigmentation, fruit size etc...

The process which made those first edible bananas is much more complex and can be found elsewhere on this site, perhaps later I can try to find some old posts I've written about it to link to here.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Here are some more photos.

'Pisang Jari Buaya' from Malaita island. Known locally as either '50 Cent' or '5 Finger'. 50-cent refers to its price at the market.


'Ba'u Egeru' on Malaita. The name translates to Betel Nut Banana, because the fruit is about the size and shape of a betel nut with the husk on. I have pretty much the same variety in Hawaii from Papua New Guinea called 'Pama'. It is a very small and very slow plant for me, but it looks very nice.


'Toraka Bonubonu', another fe'i from Makira.



'5-Minute' in the female stage on Guadalcanal.


An unknown variety on Guadalcanal.


'Kovokovo' on Guadalcanal.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

You are so lucky to get to travel to such places and see the world... thank you for sharing with us.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

This "50 Cent" is totally awesome :woohoonaner:
I just dont get to see stuff like this in person :) .. Ive been in the reptile business for years and constantly have had people say to me "Man your lucky to do what you do".. And I guess I am getting a dose back from Gabe here this morning :ha: because he is lucky to be doing what he is doing .. Just great stuff Thanks Gabe for sharing

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Wow! Outstanding photos!

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Gabe, your contributions here, as always, really add a professional dimension to the org. Thanks so much. Keep it up!

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

That 50 cent is crazy looking!

What's going on over there with banana diseases?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

The '50-cent' is one that everyone here can get if they want, it is 'Monkey Fingers', 'Crocodile Teeth', 'Crocodile Fingers', 'Pisang Jari Buaya'...whatever you would like to call it is the same plant.

There were a few varieties there that you can easily get in the us such as 'Ice Cream', 'Mysore', 'Namwah', 'Williams' and others.

Here is my 'Pisang Jari Buaya' growing in Hawaii. It has been a fairly vigorous plant, and a lot of people seem to really like the fruit. It has gotten poor taste test ratings in some studies, it definitely has a unique flavor but I really like it and pretty much everyone I've given fruit to seems to really like the flavor as well.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I saw some Sigatoka which is expected, but really nothing too serious. I suspect there are some other problems such as nematodes and weevils, but really nothing too devastating.

The problem most farmers cited as a big problem is Banana Scab Moth whose larvae eat the young fruit skins causing scarring. If it's not too bad, it still definitely affects how much the fruit can fetch at market, but is not as serious as BBTV or Panama Wilt which I didn't see at all (but they might be present). Most people are not growing bananas for the market anyways. If scab moth gets really bad though and they start feeding on the fruit early enough, it can ruin the bunch by stunting the fruit.

In the '50-cent' photo from Malaita you can see Scab Moth damage towards the bottom of the bunch.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Thanks, Gabe, I was away when this thread started and just found it. I look forward to seeing your full write-up in a month or so.

The '50-cent'
 

Pisang Jari Buaya thread:

http://www.bananas.org/f2/pisang-jar...tml#post107189

Soloman Islands bananas: fehi
 

Fehi

A few videos.
Boiling and mashing Fei.
Moorea, French Polynesia
June 2009
Where we stayed..
Hotel Hibiscus - Google Maps


Ripe Fei
YouTube - Fei Peeling 1

This one is not quite as ripe
YouTube - Fei Peeling 2

YouTube - Fei Mashing 1.MOV

YouTube - Fei Mashing 2.MOV

YouTube - Fei Mashing 3.MOV

YouTube - Fei Mashing 4

Soloman Islands bananas: fehi
 

Gabe has experienced Fei in a manner we can only dream of....

http://www.bananas.org/f2/musa-aiuri...nana-7965.html

http://www.bananas.org/f2/fei-banana...lley-4382.html

Cheryl's Thread
http://www.bananas.org/f2/colored-bananas-9934.html

momoese is all over this banana as well!

Illustrated guide to the identification of banana varieties in the South Pacific
 

Illustrated guide to the identification of banana varieties in the South Pacific
4 PDF Files

Illustrated guide to the identification of banana varieties in the South Pacific | ACIAR

Page 38 Plate 64
Soa'a

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Hua Moa Pics


Tostones Thread:
http://www.bananas.org/f12/banana-id...d=1#post133167

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I am in love with this thread. Love the pictures with a passion Gabe. Not only do I enjoy the unique, and lovely pictures that you share here - but I think it's awesome that you share with us the way these bananas are tied into the culture of the people there. Thank you for that, in itself. I geek out over information like that.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Gabe - that Kovokovo looks like an Ele Ele. Any connection?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

No. That type of coloration can happen on any type of banana, pigmentation in plants is easily and commonly changed through mutation and sexual recombination. There is even another form of 'Kovokovo' which is totally green.

If you look at the inflorescences of the two, they are totally different and they are not closely related.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Bump

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X2
These are some amazing plants!

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Yeah, there are very interesting banana varieties, my Brazilian friend and I want them also to grow here in Brazil, but the problem are the import restrictions for bananas to Brazil for pups and rhizomes. But do you have seeds from the Fe'i species and Australmusas? I try to get contact with one banana researcher of Embrapa, because I could not find any nursery in Brazil which does offer Thousand Fingers, Praying Hands, Saba, Ele Ele and also these and the import restrictions are the big problem, not the climate. The climate is optimal for bananas here. I hope that these new cultivars and species will also be offered in Brazil one day. There are so many new dwarf cultivars from the Solomons, they might be optimal for my banana special garden at my pond in my chácara.

Gabe, there are so many amazing banana types, one big want for us to grow self in our gardens and greenhouses.

Best wishes
Joachim

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

That's really cool. so many bananas in the world... curse you lack of space and zone 5 weather...

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

:08:

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I love this thread. I have it bookmarked at the head of my browser's banana folder. Be seen by a new generation of poster, thread!

N.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

Does anyone keep in touch with Gabe, is he still studying bananas in Hawaii?

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I think robguzz24 mentioned attending a workshop with/by Gabe recently, something about rediscovering a banana, so im guessing that he is still in Hawaii. He hails from Colorado and i remember reading an old garden web page that he posted on stating he was 15? Hence the name it was 2005/6 do he must be 24 - 26. He may still be at college/uni. I havent seen him post in the 12 - 24 months I've been lurking though.

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

About a year back I got a PM reply from him stating he doesn't frequent here very often anymore, I'm sure you can get his contact info if you shoot him a pm

Also he got his masters in... bananas:bananaflipflop:? No I think tropical soil science and over the summer he held a seminar on the big island, wish I could get some more info on what was said there but it was a $30 fee so it must have been info worth paying for.

The guy is the best damn member this forum had, sorry all other great members.:waving:

Re: Soloman Islands bananas
 

I'm not in touch with him but I know he left Hawaii for the mainland. The talk was a farm tour and just tons of info about growing bananas in Hawaii. I was glad I got to meet him before he left. Just a really great guy who contributed so much on here over the years.