Thursday, November 24, 2016

Yes, We Have No Bananas

While the sun was still constantly shining — before these last few days of mostly cloudy, sometimes thunder and lightning, and a mix of light and heavy rain — I was on a walk on the beach when I spotted a sad-looking cluster of plants in a cement planter outside a chiringuito (beach café).

The tallest plant caught my attention because hanging from it was what I'm pretty sure is the flower that will produce a cluster of bananas.

It's easy to get the real banana plant confused with the "giant white bird of paradise" or "wild banana" whose flowers look like the typical orange bird of paradise (except that they're giant and white... which is probably where it got its name, don't you think?).

Unlike the real banana plant, however, the giant white bird of paradise doesn't bear edible fruit. So, once there's fruit (i.e., bananas), I can easily tell it's a real banana plant. I'm clever like that.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I'm pretty sure that what I saw was a real banana plant. I'll wait for the bananas and will let you know for certain — unless, of course, someone out there looks at my photos and can tell without waiting for bananas (or no bananas, as the case may be).

(Don't forget to click the image for a bigger banana ... or no banana.)



Time for a another song from Louis Prima...

16 comments:

  1. my mind went to the dirty side looking at that plant...

    ReplyDelete
  2. My mind went to the pessimism bananas are being decimated by infection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spo:
      Wishing you more optimism in the near future.

      Delete
  3. I wouldn't know a banana plant if I fell/slipped over one!
    But I do know that this is a beautiful plant and blossom, Mitch.
    So exotic as I look out and see snow flakes dancing down and around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim:
      It's been confirmed. It IS a banana plant. It's raining here. 12C! Brrr...

      Delete
  4. Well, I just smiled and chuckled... as I always get to do when I visit your blog :) You and your banana plants :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Mitchell - there are already fruits on that plant! Look just above the flower and those green things sticking out like a crown are young bananas (or maybe plantains, a non-sweet banana relative that you have to cook before eating). You were right. Love the color of that flower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wilma:
      Thanks so much. I knew I could count on you. Cook before eating? Well, if it's a plantain, I guess I'll never taste it!

      Delete
  6. We used to have a strelitzia nicolai (http://reluctantrebel.blogspot.com/2009/04/bird-of-paradise.html) or white Bird of Paradise as well as some regular Birds. Your photo looks like banana. The flower looks almost like some kind of large orchid. Nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frank:
      Yes, it's been confirmed. A banana plant. I had no idea until recently that the giant bird of paradise could survive in colder climates.

      Delete
  7. Banana or no, it's purty!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm not a plant person but it looks like a banana to me.

    ReplyDelete

Please visit www.movingwithmitchell.com if you would like to comment or stay up to date. I stopped posting here and reproduced all previous posts, as well, 25 September 2018. Thanks!!!