California Jungle Gardens in LA - Anyone heard of this?

I'm in search of Ensete 'Montbeliardii' (Banana) which was introduced into the US by David Barry Jr. through his California Jungle Gardens in Los Angeles. I can't seem to find any references online for this nursery/garden and believe it was active, I'm guessing, around 30's, 40's, 50's. There's a picture of this plant at Longwoods Gardens (who no longer have it) in "Tropica", A.B. Graf, p 668. It has long slender reddish leaves with almost blackish pettioles which is different from Ensete v. Maurellii which is stout. I'm wondering if there's a few plants still around the L.A. area. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Dave Barry died a long time ago- pretty sure his nursery went with him... but you might be able to find the Banana you want at JDAndersen nursery (see Garden Watchdog for his website)- he's probably got the best banana selection in California now.

Thanks palmbob. I've contacted them to find out if they're aware of this plant. I found out David Barry Jr. passed away 2 February 1978 but I can't find any more information about where his nursery was and where some of his plants might be. It seems like this plant is lost in cultivation. There may be some reminant plants in the LA area but where does one start looking? I might just drive down there look for it at older gardens and ask around. If you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks

Here is their website; it appears they are down toward San Diego; Thanks Bob for the info; Looks like an interesting place to go visit during my stay in CA. I have wanted some bananas for the Meadowbrook house.

http://www.jdandersen.com/

Good luck, growin . . .

There are several references to ‘Montbeliardii’ in the UK (along with some info about 'Maurelii') and a mention of it in Florida. I don't have personal knowledge of which plant is being marketed under the ‘Montbeliardii’ name, but you might try some of these links:

http://eu.transcoder.usablenet.com/tt/http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/pubs/garden0805/newsgwl.asp
http://www.kobakoba.co.uk/ensete_ventricosum_montbeliardii.htm
http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/archive2/index.php/t-89659Bananas-from-seed,-and-overwintering.html
http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/programs/urbanhort/publications/PDF/Ornamental%20African%20Plants.PDF

Or just a general Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Ensete+Montbeliardii&hl=en&lr=&start=10&sa=N

Thanks all for your leads, suggestions and comments. I'll try and bring this simular but not exact cultivar over and give it a try. I was, though, looking forward to a plant hunt in LA.

Why not call the Huntington Gardens and ask if they have it before you drive down....

Thanks tabasco, I emailed them and was very grateful to speak to someone who knew of this nursery and David Barry Jr. I was also looking forward to the drive.

Hi Growin;

Funny coincidence, just last week my sister-in-law was taking about Jungle Gardens. Apparently it was up in Valencia, north of L.A.

I guess it's not totally forgotten. It sounds like David Barry Jr. and his nursery contributed a few tropicals to the LA landscape. I ended up not finding the Ensete cultivar I was looking for. I'll still keep my eyes open for it. Thanks.

Your plant is properly called Ensete ventricosum 'Montbeliardi'. Here are a few places/people who might be able to help you in your search. Some might seem odd, but you never know who might know.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/
http://www.bananas.org/
http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/index2.shtml
http://www.speps.net/

The plantzafrica guy is a great source. He as a lot of knowledge about plants in England.

It looks like a lot of people who belong to palm societies are interested in Ensete. I'd do a google search on them as well: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2005-18%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=%22palm+society%22