Blue Java banana

Musa 'Blue Java'
Blue Java banana strands in Maui, Hawaii.
Details
Hybrid parentage	Musa acuminata × balbisiana
Cultivar group	ABB Group
Cultivar	'Blue Java'
Origin	Southeast Asia up to North Australia

Ripe Blue Java fruit at the Maui County Fair, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii.

Blue Java banana in Maui, Hawaii.

The Blue Java (also known as Ice Cream banana, Hawaiian banana, Ney Mannan, Krie, or Cenizo) is a hardy, cold tolerant banana cultivar known for its sweet aromatic fruit which is said to have an ice cream like consistency and flavor reminiscent of vanilla.^[1][2]

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

The Blue Java banana is a triploid (ABB) hybrid of the seeded banana Musa balbisiana and Musa acuminata.^[3]

Its accepted name is Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (ABB Group) cv. 'Blue Java'.

Synonyms include:

• Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (ABB Group) cv. 'Ice Cream'

In Hawaii it is known as the 'Ice Cream banana' and in Fiji as the 'Hawaiian banana'. It is also called 'Krie' in the Philippines and 'Cenizo' in Central America.

Description

Blue Java bananas can grow to a height of 15 feet to 20 feet. They are cold tolerant and like tall bananas of the ABB Group, are wind resistant because of their strong pseudostems and root systems. The leaves are silvery green in color.^[1][2]

The fruit bunches are small, bearing seven to nine hands. The fruit are 7 to 9 inches in length and exhibit a characteristic silvery blue color when unripe. The fruit turn a pale yellow when ripe, with white creamy flesh. They bloom around 15 to 24 months after planting and can be harvested after 115 to 150 days.

Uses

Blue Java bananas are popular bananas that can be eaten fresh or cooked. They are known for their fragrant fruit which taste like vanilla custard.^[2] The fruit goes well with ice cream.

They are also popular as ornamentals and shade plants for their unusual blue coloration, large size, and tolerance to temperate climates.^[4]

Pests and Diseases

Common Pests

• Borers
• Grasshoppers
• Root nematodes

Common Diseases

• Panama disease
• Black Sigatoka

See also

• Banana
• Banana Cultivar Groups
• Musa balbisiana
• Musa acuminata
• Plantain
• Saba banana

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "BANANA". California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. http://www.crfg.org/.+1996. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Musa sp. 'Ice Cream' 'Blue Java' banana". http://stokestropicals.com/. http://stokestropicals.com/ice-cream.htm. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 
3. ^ Michel H. Porcher; Prof. Snow Barlow (19/07/2002). "Sorting Musa names". The University of Melbourne, [1]. http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Musa.html. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
4. ^ Bananas Wiki "Musa Blue Java (Ice Cream)". http://www.bananas.org/. http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musa_Ice_Cream_%28Blue_Java%29 Bananas Wiki. Retrieved 12 January 2011.