Manzano Banana?

[Tropicalgrower89]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :













Here's an older picture:

[venturabananas]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :

Could be, but looks more like a Pisang Awak (aka Namwah) variety, for example, the one sold as "Ice Cream", which isn't actually that cultivar. 

There's a very easy way to figure out if it is Manzano: try them now, with some green still on the peel or stem.  If it is Manzano, it'll be practically inedible: astringent and chalky.  Manzano aren't good until there is no green at all on them, and ideally some dark marks on the peel.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :

Could be, but looks more like a Pisang Awak (aka Namwah) variety, for example, the one sold as "Ice Cream", which isn't actually that cultivar. 

There's a very easy way to figure out if it is Manzano: try them now, with some green still on the peel or stem.  If it is Manzano, it'll be practically inedible: astringent and chalky.  Manzano aren't good until there is no green at all on them, and ideally some dark marks on the peel.

I already did that. It wasn't chalky/starchy and inedible. It had the manzano flavor, but it wasn't ripe, so that could be the case. The center had an orange tinge to it. Thanks for your help. 

[Tropicalgrower89]

I ate a few ripe bananas today. It's Manzano! Super sweet and much better than even the best supermarket manzano bananas. 

[TnTrobbie]

Good to hear . My two pups are growing super fastly. Can't wait (it'll be some time) to enjoy some home grown ones myself.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Good to hear . My two pups are growing super fastly. Can't wait (it'll be some time) to enjoy some home grown ones myself.

Glad to hear that. Hopefully you'll be enjoying some manzano bananas soon. If it's not manzano, I'll be more than happy to give you a pup from my banana tree (herb). 

[bsbullie]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :

Could be, but looks more like a Pisang Awak (aka Namwah) variety, for example, the one sold as "Ice Cream", which isn't actually that cultivar. 

There's a very easy way to figure out if it is Manzano: try them now, with some green still on the peel or stem.  If it is Manzano, it'll be practically inedible: astringent and chalky.  Manzano aren't good until there is no green at all on them, and ideally some dark marks on the peel.

I already did that. It wasn't chalky/starchy and inedible. It had the manzano flavor, but it wasn't ripe, so that could be the case. The center had an orange tinge to it. Thanks for your help. 

If you ate one on the 15th and it was not fully ripe/skin containing any green (and as stated preferably with some blackening on the skin) then I highly doubt its manzano.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :

Could be, but looks more like a Pisang Awak (aka Namwah) variety, for example, the one sold as "Ice Cream", which isn't actually that cultivar. 

There's a very easy way to figure out if it is Manzano: try them now, with some green still on the peel or stem.  If it is Manzano, it'll be practically inedible: astringent and chalky.  Manzano aren't good until there is no green at all on them, and ideally some dark marks on the peel.

I already did that. It wasn't chalky/starchy and inedible. It had the manzano flavor, but it wasn't ripe, so that could be the case. The center had an orange tinge to it. Thanks for your help. 

If you ate one on the 15th and it was not fully ripe/skin containing any green (and as stated preferably with some blackening on the skin) then I highly doubt its manzano.

It was all yellow. Just the veins were green. Don't know if you read my post above, but my mom and I ate some fully ripened ones today. They are plump, very thin delicate skin, and have a sweet rich flavor reminiscent of apple. We've eaten tons of manzano bananas in our life time and we both agree, it's manzano... 

[Cookie Monster]

Whoo hoo! That kicks batt. Where did you get the pups?

[Tropicalgrower89]

Whoo hoo! That kicks batt. Where did you get the pups?

I got two pups from mangokush a couple of years back when he was an active user on gardenweb. One was an ice cream banana and one was manzano. One of them died which led to the confusion. Glad the manzano one lived. 

[venturabananas]

Here is the top hand of the banana clump I've harvested from my unknown banana tree. Looks like Manzano to me  :

Could be, but looks more like a Pisang Awak (aka Namwah) variety, for example, the one sold as "Ice Cream", which isn't actually that cultivar. 

There's a very easy way to figure out if it is Manzano: try them now, with some green still on the peel or stem.  If it is Manzano, it'll be practically inedible: astringent and chalky.  Manzano aren't good until there is no green at all on them, and ideally some dark marks on the peel.

I already did that. It wasn't chalky/starchy and inedible. It had the manzano flavor, but it wasn't ripe, so that could be the case. The center had an orange tinge to it. Thanks for your help. 

If you ate one on the 15th and it was not fully ripe/skin containing any green (and as stated preferably with some blackening on the skin) then I highly doubt its manzano.

It was all yellow. Just the veins were green. Don't know if you read my post above, but my mom and I ate some fully ripened ones today. They are plump, very thin delicate skin, and have a sweet rich flavor reminiscent of apple. We've eaten tons of manzano bananas in our life time and we both agree, it's manzano... 

That's also how Pisang Awak bananas taste -- they have an apple cider flavor.  It if had any green anywhere and wasn't a little astringent or chalky, it was probably the one you got as "Ice Cream".  Same size and shape as Manzano and same thin peel.  Doesn't really matter what it is if you like it.

[fruitlovers]

That looks to me like what we call apple bananas over here, real name Brazilian. It is the most common banana here in farmer's markets. Square stem ends and size is sure give away. Very sweet and apple taste. Manzano or Silk Fig are smaller, thinner peel, pointed stem ends, and tend to split when ripe. These are very astringent when not fully ripe, but even sweeter than apple bananas.

[Squam256]

What gives me pause is the fact that it wasn't astringent when it wasn't fully ripe. That would definitely indicate it isn't manzano.

Nam Wah or Dwarf Brazilian/Hawaiian Apple are both possibilities. I don't really think Nam Wah has an apple flavor to it but Brazilian does.

[fruitlovers]

What gives me pause is the fact that it wasn't astringent when it wasn't fully ripe. That would definitely indicate it isn't manzano.

Nam Wah or Dwarf Brazilian/Hawaiian Apple are both possibilities. I don't really think Nam Wah has an apple flavor to it but Brazilian does.

I'm 100% certain it's not Manzano as Manzano don't look anything like that photo. I'm 90% sure it is Hawaiian Apple (aka Brazilian). BTW we have both dwarf and regular tall versions of Hawaiian Apple. We have both these varieties here, but Apple is very common, and Manzano (what we call here Silk Fig) is not so common.

[GwenninPR]

That is what we call "ice cream" here.  Manzanas  (at least mine) don't have that whiteish look to the skin.
The Namwah also has an apple flavor when it is not fully softened, but it gets much more soft and creamy when ripe and looses some of the appleness, just is sweet.

[venturabananas]

If the peel was thin, like Manzano, it wasn't Hawaiian Apple (Brazilian) -- which might taste a bit like pineapple, but never apple to my taste buds.  The point about the whitish "bloom" on the peel is a good one -- definitely a trait of Pisang Awak cv's ("fake Ice Cream", Namwah), but not a trait of Hawaiian Apple or Manzano.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Thanks for the info guys. To me, it tastes identical to manzano. Same sweet apple taste and texture even when it's very ripe.

[bsbullie]

Thanks for the info guys. To me, it tastes identical to manzano. Same sweet apple taste and texture even when it's very ripe.

Please post a picture of the banana as what you are referring to as "very ripe".  As I, and others, have stated, we are pretty sure it is not Manzano..

[fruitlovers]

Thanks for the info guys. To me, it tastes identical to manzano. Same sweet apple taste and texture even when it's very ripe.

If it really tastes identical to Manzano it can't be Hawaiian Apple. Manzano has a much sweeter taste, and texture is also different.