Description
The ‘Red Popo’ulu’ or ‘Red Trunk Popo’ulu’ banana was originally thought to be a Hawaiian banana, but it turned out it had been brought to Hawaii in the 1960s from Tonga. The Tongans had originally given it the name ‘Putalinga Kula’ and had highly favored this banana among the many cultivars they grew.
The trunk is a beautiful scarlet red color, and the plant makes large, fat fruits, appearing similar to the Hua Moa plantain. It is a great banana for cooking unripe, ripe, and eating fresh. We have yet to fully evaluate the ‘Red Popo’ulu’ in our own South Florida plantings, but when it became available, we jumped on the opportunity to add this supreme variety to our collection. We will update with results once our plants mature!
