| I had the opportunity to remove a large clump of banana tree from a ditch. It's root ball was about 3 ft. around and had about 8 large trunks with about that many pups. On three of the large stems were small red fruit looking like a bromeliad bloom. When opened the flesh is white with large black seeds. I don't know if they were not ripe or what but there is no smell to them at all. Closest thing I've found on line is macro musa ornata. The leaves on the tree are solid green and are the kind that seem to tear easily in the wind. The tallest stalk seemed to be about 7ft tall. The root ball seemed to be made up of huge bulb-like sections. Because of where this was located, I feel that it had been in the area for awhile. It is a place where things are abandoned as trash. Is it possible the little fruit with seeds will make new plants? |
| It is possible the seeds will germinate, but an even better way might be to separate the root mass and plant a few of the divisions. I can't identify the plant for you (even if I saw it, there are many types of musa available and all are very similar), but a large specimen does seem to indicate it was happy growing in your area. So, try separating the roots and planting them; sow the seeds in moistened potting soil (about twice as deep as they are wide) and keep them warm (70F). Hope you get lots of new little trees from your rescue operation. |
