I actually haven't seen Musa mannii flower. It is very cold-hardy, but our growing season is not long enough for it to flower here. As for the peduncle being horizontal,
none of the descriptions of mannii say that. In fact, they all state that it is erect.
Moore says this of the inflorescence though:
Quote:
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The lax, smooth inflorescence, about 15 cm. long in the flowering portion, is somewhat inclined but neither horizontal or recurved.
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Which would lead me to believe that the inflorescence tilts at a slight angle from the peduncle. Gotta admit, I really didn't pay that close attention to the "pale crimson" description of the bracts though. Oops!
Musa rubinea looks different, to me, than Musa mannii. I like this pic for reference (from the folks that introduced Musa rubinea into cultivation). Musa rubinea is in the foreground, and Musa ornata in the background.
Just found this picture...taken October 26, 2005, of my clump of Musa mannii (R.I.P.). This is as close as I've gotten to a flower - a flag leaf.
An August 20th, 2005 shot of the small clump:
So, while what Taylor's photo shows may not be the true Musa mannii, I think it more closely resembles M. mannii than M. ornata. No, the flower color is not right for M. mannii, and there isn't much black coloration (but there is a little) on the pseudostems. Probably a hybrid of sorts.
Gabe, where did you get those pics? Where were they taken? Given that the description of M. mannii says that the peduncle is erect, maybe those pics are not of M. mannii, and actually something else? Just a thought.