Folks on this forum might be startled by my ignorance. I hope will not remain this way. I live in Cairo, Egypt. The common name in Arabic for the plant I am looking for is Rifinalia. I have found no scientific name that comes close to this plant. Often, scientific names are arabized to come up with the local name. It looks like a small banana tree. Leaves just under a meter long, leaves alternating from one side of the plant to the other. In windy conditions, like on my balcony, they separate from the edge to the center of the leaf. At the base of the trunk are two buds, one already has a leaf growing and the other is about to. The entire reason why I have been searching for the name of this plant is to understand how to propagate this plant. What to do with these buds, or just leave them alone? If it helps, I can photograph the plant and put its picture on the forum. Many thanks to anyone willing to give this a try. Cheers, yasser alwan
You live in a wonderful city Yasser! Noisy with all the cars honking, but quite wonderful! Could you post a photo of the plant in question. It may well be a "bird of Paradise" as noted above (Strelitzia Sp.), but it could be any of the over 70 species of banana. A photo will help determine what you actually are growing.
Many thanks Chris, I think you got it. It looks like a Ravenala, but I'll post a photo, as the second reply suggests, as soon as I get my act together. Thanks again
Steve, many thanks for your reply. Will get a photo within a day or two; I'm not up to digital yet, but I'm a serious photographer as well. And you're right, Cairo is wonderful, a chaotic labyrinthine mess of a wonder. Been here for 14 years now. Cheers, y
I'll be watching for the photo! When you post them please show a good detail photo of the leaf and the base of the plant. Those really help narrow down the species. Salam!
I can't be positive. I'd recommend you correspond with the folks at Going Bananas in Homestead, FL. They have the most complete collection of banana species in the US and Don is an expert in species identification. Their website address is: http://www.going-bananas.com/ Last I heard they had almost every known species in cultivation. An email address is listed on the site and I've found them to be very helpful in the past.
