NOT a Banana Tree

From the ground (and maybe a little distance) it sort of looked like there were bananas growing near the top of this tree. Since this was taken at Duke Farms, where the Duke family liked to introduce exotic plants, you could be forgiven for wondering if it's possible that bananas are growing wild at Duke Farms.

Appearances are definitely deceiving. I'm not sure you couldn't grow bananas in NJ, but they're certainly better suited for tropical climates, and the only states producing them in any amount are Florida and Hawaii.

Instead this is our old friend the Kentucky Coffeetree again, it's just that when their pods are young they look like a pale yellow instead of the dark color they'll have later in the season. (In truth, the pods are probably smaller than the classic banana, but it's a little hard to judge size from a distance.)

September 2, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 238963832, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

September 2, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 238963859, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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