Different varieties of Banana Plants

Musa ensete

March 2, 1998
Lisa wrote:
Hello,
I have a Banana Tree. I an unsure if it can/will grow bananas. Any way to find out. If so, is there anything special I do to get it to produce bananas. I have read the other article describing the care of banana trees and I feel that I am doing ok. Just need to fertilizer more. Any info would be great. I have had my tree for approx 5 years now. I belive its in a 7gal pot and extends 4+ ft from from the top of the pot. Thanks Lisa.

Banana Plants

Hi Lisa, I am afraid that I won't be of much help to you this time. There are several hundred different varieties and hybrid types of bananas. Some are seed grown, which are strictly ornamental while others are grown from corms which develop from the parent plant. To actually identify the variety usually involves keying the different properties of the plant, including the flowers and fruit. If you visit Stokes Tropicals web site, you will find an extensive listing of different varieties which are available. Perhaps they will be able to give you a little better idea of which type of banana plant you have. The people at Stokes are certainly more knowlegeble about bananas than I am. Sorry!

The Banana Site