Strange giant banana – tiny banana

About 18cm long and 5-6cm wide, the Musa Ingens banana is considered by many to be a giant among bananas because of its size and length, unmatched by any other banana.

The giant banana Musa ingens in Papua New Guinea can reach a maximum height of up to 18m, with a trunk circumference of up to 2m, on par with the trunk of an ancient tree. Meanwhile, their leaves are also “huge” with a length of up to 5m and a width of 1m. A bunch of ripe bananas weighs from 30 to 60kg. Ripe bananas are about 18cm long and about 5-6cm wide.

There are giant banana varieties that can be eaten all day long. There are also tiny banana varieties with an average length of only about 2.5 to 5cm. Señorita is considered the “youngest brother” in the banana family.

Tiny bananas are a type of wild banana originating from the Philippines. They are known as one of the bananas with a very special sweet taste and soft flesh. They are light green when green and gradually turn pale yellow when ripe. They are often eaten as soon as they are ripe, perhaps because their small size makes them easily crushed and damaged during transportation. In particular, this type of banana is rarely used in preparing dishes compared to other types of bananas.

“Super huge” watermelon – Tiny watermelon

If the seeds to grow giant watermelons are hybridized from different watermelon varieties and not a genetically modified product, then “tiny” watermelons originate from the Central region. America (Mexico) and is completely unrelated to regular watermelons.

The scientific name of this “tiny” watermelon is Melothria Scabra. The reason they are called “little watermelons” or “mouse watermelons” is because their green appearance is very similar to regular watermelons. In fact, this species belongs to the climbing family. When eaten, it tastes like cucumber and is slightly sour.

Currently, the largest watermelon in the world was grown in the summer of 2005 in Arkansas (USA), by Pat Rhodes and his family. The weight of the watermelon is 122 kg.

Regular version of carrots – Tiny version of carrots

Unlike the case of watermelons, tiny and giant carrots actually belong to the same variety and only differ in size.

The appearance of tiny carrots has created a “fever” among gardening enthusiasts. Housewives tell each other on social networking sites about how to plant and care for this small plant that is only the size of a finger.

Tiny carrots have the same properties as regular carrot varieties but their size is many times smaller. A mature tiny carrot is usually only the size of a thumb. This lovely tiny plant is especially suitable for growing as an ornamental plant in a pot for both eating and watching.

On average, a regular carrot weighing 100g contains about 41Kcal, while a tiny carrot only carries 4 Kcal of energy.

Regular cabbage – tiny cabbage

Still “brothers”, tiny cabbage and regular cabbage only differ in size. In addition, tiny cabbage grows along the stem, at each leaf stalk it will produce a small fruit. One plant can produce quite a lot of vegetables (from 100 – 150 tiny cabbages), unlike regular cabbage each time. The plant shows an ear of corn.

Tiny cabbage, scientifically known as Brussels sprouts, is much smaller in size than regular cabbage, only about 2.5-4 cm. Meanwhile, cabbage usually weighs from 0.5kg – 4kg on average.

In terms of nutritional composition, cabbage and baby cabbage are both low in calories and rich sources of vitamin C. However, tiny cabbage has twice as many calories and vitamin C as regular corn.

Tiny tomatoes – giant tomatoes

Just like cabbage or carrots, tiny tomatoes and “giant” tomatoes are all in the same family.

Tiny tomatoes are characterized by a stem about 20cm tall, with many hairy stem branches. People grow tiny tomatoes mainly for ornamental purposes or small tomatoes are easy to eat. The fruit is red when ripe, small, easy to eat and quite eye-catching.

Meanwhile, tomatoes of the Gigantomo variety, considered the “biggest” tomato variety in the world, are about 1.8m tall and produce from 9 to 11 large fruits. The size of the tomatoes can be up to about 25cm and weigh nearly 1.5kg, equivalent to the size of 12 normal tomatoes, enough for the needs of 4 people.

“Huge” pumpkin – mini pumpkin

Like the case of carrots, tiny or giant pumpkins are actually “brothers” of each other. However, the difference in their weight is very significant.

Mini pumpkins are known as Pumpkin Casperita, Baby Boo pumpkins or Miniture Pumkins. The size of the fruit is just enough to fit in the palm of your hand. When ripe, the fruit is white. Everyone likes to grow small pumpkins because this plant is easy to grow, productive, matures very quickly and especially the small, beautiful fruit looks extremely fun. Tiny pumpkins also contain very low calories (26 Kcal/100g). Therefore, they are preferred by women around the world in diets and weight loss diets.

A tourist couldn’t hide his surprise at the “biggest” giant pumpkin weighing more than 8 quintals in England.

Tiny radish – regular radish

Like regular radishes, round baby red radishes also contain lots of vitamins A, C and iron, which are very good for health. This type of tuber is quite easy to grow because it does not need a lot of land or to be “picky” about housing.

This plant does not need too much soil, is suitable for growing in small pots and tubs, can decorate balconies and is suitable for cramped urban spaces. In addition, red radishes also have certain feng shui meanings and create a beautiful space in the house.

Radish is a root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family, domesticated in Europe since pre-Roman times. Nowadays, radishes are grown and used all over the world. Radish comes in many different varieties, varying in size, color and season.

Regular size corn – baby corn

Another pair of giant and tiny brothers in the plant world are regular corn and baby corn. They are grown under the same nutritional conditions but differ only in harvest time. Baby corn is harvested very early and is not allowed to grow large like regular corn.

Harvest times are different, leading to fundamental differences between the two types of corn. On the one hand, baby corn is harvested early so it is less susceptible to pest attacks than when it is mature. On the other hand, common corn is known as one of the staple grains, very rich in starch.