Musa 'Nam Wah Albino'

This Albino clone of Musa Nam Wah is obtained once in a long while when a plant of variegated Nam Wah gives a pup lacking clorophyll. This shoot will grow new leaves of an incredibly white colour, sometimes with a soft pink hue. These leaves are tender and will develop brown margins if exposed to wind, harsh dry air or cold. So plants should be kept in pampered environment in order to allow them to hold 2 to 4 nice white leaves. Older blades will inevitably get brown margins as they age, and ageing leaves will also turn a bit green, especially along the rachis. So the plants will be able to do a bit of photosinthesis and keep on going.

Yes, if you buy this albino banana tree, then you are buying a conversation piece and a true people stopper, but also a weak freak: most plants will die well before fruiting but they can last for a lot of time and could also make healthy green pups.

We have had one plant in the ground that eventually made a small bunch of bananas. When a plant gives albino pups, we discard the weakest ones and keep the most robust ones for rooting.