Musa balbisiana

Musa balbisiana

Obscure but exciting 'new' Banana from North-east India, the Musa balbisiana is perhaps one of the progenitors of the commercial banana. It grows at some altitude so may tolerate cool conditions and a little frost, but its main characteristic is its huge flower. As with others in the genus, rich soil is required for maximum growth together with plenty of fertilizer and an adequate supply of water. Given these and some summer warmth, it is almost dangerously fast growing!

germination comments by our visitors
For general germination instructions click here.

Also see plant cultivation comments below.

Seeds from this species ...

...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
6 out of 6 germinated 100%. Temp Day: 28 to 32°C. Temp Night: 20° to 25°C. Took only 13 days.
Submitted on 16/07/2005 by one of our visitors

...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
very fast grower. put in filtered light under a window in damp peat. sprouts came up a week later and from there grew rapidly.
Submitted on 21/03/2004 by anton chuidian wutang8364@yahoo.com

...difficult to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
One seed out of six germinated after about two months of greenhouse humidity and temperatures of 80-90 degrees Farenheit in the day and 65-70 degrees Farenheit at night. Still waiting for other seeds to germinate. Also, germinated before any Musa itinerans or Musa velutina planted at the same time.
Submitted on 18/06/2003 by Mike Challis challismike@hotmail.com


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plant cultivation comments by our visitors
Also see germination commnets above.

Plants from this species ...

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	• • • Write a plant cultivation comment and enter to win Euro (€) 50 worth of seeds • • • Please note: These comments are on how to cultivate the PLANTS once the seeds have germinated.

If you wish to read more on palm cultivation, we highly recommend Ornamental Palm Horticulture by Timothy K. Broschat and Alan W. Meerow, available in our bookshop.

Ratings and comments reflect individual experiences and the views of our visitors. They do not necessarily describe the most appropriate methods, nor are they necessarily valid for all seeds or plants of this species. Germination and plant cultivation success depends on many different factors; nevertheless, these experiences will hopefully aid you in your effort to get the best germination results from our seeds and the best growth results from your plants.

We recommend:

Martius, Book of Palms
by H. Walter Lack

Hardcover - 450 pages
19.8 x 13.5 inches!
11.1 pounds!
50 x 34 cm, 5 kg

Our Rating:

Suitable for: all

Martius's magnificent work on the varieties of palm tree. This epic folio was based on Martius's expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix. From 1817 to 1820 the pair travelled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon Basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens.
In his epic work, Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. For apart from his own collection of specimens and notes, Martius also wrote about the findings of others.
Martius's folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees. Equally remarkable are the color landscapes showing various palms—often standing alone—which have a simple and elegant beauty. This famous work is an unrivaled landmark in botanic illustration and taxonomy.

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Other selected books are available in our Book Shop