Ever seen a banana in bloom?

[yug]

For anyone that has ever wondered what a banana plant looks like when it is preparing those curvy yellow fruits that many of us know as bananas. Sometimes the blooms are somewhat attractive, and other times not so much.

[Diane56Victor]

European wasps love banana blooms. My neighbour in a previous home had a banana tree in her side garden which was next to our driveway. One Summer they were at least 3 swarms of Eurowasps! Murderous little bugs!

[Dollythehun]

I had heard that bananas had to be hand pollinated? Eurowasps? More info please?

[estación seca]

Most fruiting varieties don't need pollination. They lack seeds.

Banana inflorescences have female flowers at the base, opening first, then male. One large bract subtends a panicle of about 6 flowers, which is why there are 6 bananas in a hand.

In southeast Asia people cut off the distal remainder of the inflorescence after all the female flowers open and eat it as a vegetable. Recipes are online.

[Diane56Victor]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I had heard that bananas had to be hand pollinated? Eurowasps? More info please?

When I lived in the UK I just knew them as wasps, species vespula vulgaris I've since found out.
Here in Australia they refer to them as European wasps and because it doesn't get as cold here as in UK and Europe they don't hibernate and seem to be more aggressive.

[WaterWitchin]

Great pictures! Gracias!

[DeaC]

How interesting! I imagine many children think food comes just from the grocery store. Time for banana smoothies.

[Dollythehun]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[yug]

Y'all are welcome, thanks for looking.

estación seca is correct that edible bananas do not need pollination. Either the male or female flowers, or both, are sterile and will not produce seeds. A seeded banana is considered to not be edible. The ornamental bananas are typically seeded varieties.

The only banana flower I've seen being eaten is the bloom of the 'saba' or 'dip-pig' cooking banana. It is a maroon color and about the size of a football.

Those blooms in the photos are 2 1/2 feet or more in length. The variety is called a 'double mahoi' which is pretty much identical to a 'dwarf cavendish' banana, except that second generation can produce multiple blooms / bunches on the same plant. The most I've seen was 5, but the record is supposed to be 7.

Double Mahoi banana with 2 bunches

[SouthPark]

The flower stalk of banana plants are somewhat tricky, as in it sometimes appear that they just pop out like magic - even though they just develop under the radar - maybe hidden within or between the leaves at the top of the plant ----- and then they droop down and reveal themselves under their own weight at some stage of development.

Nice photos!