Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Banana seeds buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are on amazon.co.uk, comparing photos of ripe bunches with titles that shout 50 or 100 pieces. This banana seeds buying guide is the reject list: a Latin name, a seed count that matches the title, a packer you can read, and a job the packet can actually do. Prices and ASINs sit on the [banana seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/banana-seeds). Kew states that Cavendish fruit has no seeds and that those plants are increased from offsets, so a packet here will not grow the fruit in a supermarket bowl. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F., updated 21 October 2026. The seed was not sown.

You are on amazon.co.uk, comparing photos of ripe bunches with titles that shout 50 or 100 pieces.

Our top picks

SAFLAX SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum

Best overall

SAFLAX SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum
8.1/10about £4.55
View offer
SAFLAX SAFLAX Darjeeling banana, 5 seeds, Musa sikkimensis

Alternative

SAFLAX SAFLAX Darjeeling banana, 5 seeds, Musa sikkimensis
6.6/10about £4.55
View offer
Seeds & Plants Shop by Ipsa 10 Musa acuminata dwarf banana seeds, Ipsa

Best value

Seeds & Plants Shop by Ipsa 10 Musa acuminata dwarf banana seeds, Ipsa
5.5/10about £3.23
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a banana seed packet is for
  2. 2.Four checks before you pay
  3. 3.Packets that fail those checks
  4. 4.What the price does not buy

What a banana seed packet is for

A banana seed packet is for a large-leaved Musa or Ensete, usually in a pot or a summer border, not for the seedless Cavendish you eat. The RHS says bananas are usually sold as plants, and that seed is how you reach less common species. The named packets here are Musa sikkimensis, Ensete glaucum, and Musa acuminata. Banana fruit seeds, red banana vegetable seeds, banana shallot, and the tomato Banana Legs are not those plants. Name the species before the price is worth reading.

Four checks before you pay

SAFLAX prints Musa sikkimensis on the Darjeeling packet, five seeds at about £4.55, and Ensete glaucum, also Ensete wilsonii, on the snow banana, 10 seeds at the same price. Ipsa prints Musa acuminata, 10 seeds at about £3.23. Those three pass the name check. The count has to match any 1 Pc bullet. SAFLAX and Ipsa agree with their titles. The generic Ensete at about £13.50 says five seeds and then 1 Pc. The generic dwarf kit lists 10, 20, or 30 pieces against the same bullet. A UK review of the Darjeeling packet, from April 2023, says the card was in German. Ipsa states that English is not guaranteed. Hardiness comes from an RHS rating or a UK nursery page, not from hardy or snow in the title.
SAFLAX SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum

Testsieger

SAFLAX SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum
8.1/10about £4.55
View offer

Packets that fail those checks

Unnamed packets fail before price or stars. Punikondra’s green listing is 60 banana fruit seeds at about £7.99, with 1.0 from one rating and no review text. The red listing is 50 pieces at the same price with no star line. Buy4seeds sells 50 and 100 red banana vegetable seeds at about £8.99. Indoor and outdoor is not a Latin name, and the 100-piece listing uses the same image as the 50-piece one. The hardy neve banana at about £13.50 names Ensete glaucum, then clashes on the count, with 1.0 from four ratings. Two UK reviews expected the plant and received a small bag of seeds. One, from July 2025, describes an unlabelled bag from China, while the origin field says United Kingdom. The dwarf kit names no species. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must match the description.

What the price does not buy

Price comes last. About £3.23 to £4.55 is where the named packets sit. About £8 to £9 is the unnamed punikondra and Buy4seeds band. About £13.50 did not buy a clearer name than the SAFLAX snow banana. Stars are not a germination percentage. Darjeeling is 2.5 from 55 ratings, with failed germination as a repeated UK theme next to the German card. Snow banana is 3.0 from 69. Ipsa has no star line. If the checks fail, more seeds will not repair the listing.

Common questions

Does a packet of banana seeds grow supermarket Cavendish fruit?
No. Kew states that Cavendish fruit has no seeds and that the plants are increased from offsets. The RHS says most bananas will not flower or fruit outdoors in the UK. A packet in this comparison is for a named Musa or Ensete grown for leaves, in a pot or a protected spot, not for the fruit in a shopping bowl. A photo of a ripe bunch on the listing does not change that.
What must the title name before you buy?
The title should name the species, not only a colour or a piece count. Musa sikkimensis, Ensete glaucum, and Musa acuminata are the binomials on the packets that pass that check here. Banana fruit seeds, red banana vegetable seeds, and dwarf banana seeds do not say which plant you will sow. Without that name you cannot match hardiness, pot size, or a winter plan.
What if the title says 5 or 10 seeds and a bullet says 1 Pc?
Treat that as a failed listing, not as a small-print detail. The generic Ensete glaucum title says five seeds and a bullet says 1 Pc, and the dwarf kit lists 10, 20, or 30 pieces against the same 1 Pc bullet. You cannot know how many seeds will arrive. The SAFLAX and Ipsa counts match their titles, which is the pattern to keep.
Are banana fruit seeds or red banana vegetable seeds a species?
No. They are marketplace titles without a Latin name. The green and red punikondra packets and both Buy4seeds packets sit in that group, from about £7.99 to £8.99. Seeds only, or a line that says indoor and outdoor, still does not identify Musa or Ensete. Banana shallot, banana passion fruit, and the tomato Banana Legs are other plants that can appear beside those words.
What if the instructions are in German?
A UK review of the SAFLAX Darjeeling packet says the card was in German. Ipsa states that English is not guaranteed on its general sowing notes. If you cannot follow the card, the species can still be right and the packet can still be a poor buy for you. Use a method you can read, such as the RHS steps on how to sow banana seeds, or choose a packer whose notes you have already checked.
When is an unlabelled overseas bag a reason to walk away?
When the listing shows a plant, or a named packet, and the UK reviews describe a small unlabelled bag. That is what two UK reviews say about the hardy neve listing at about £13.50, including one that mentions a bag from China while the origin field says United Kingdom. Goods must match the description. One shop packet is not an import form, and an unlabelled bag is still a reason to prefer a named packer.

Related pages

Best banana seeds

Musa or Ensete banana

Banana seeds

How to sow banana seeds using one published method

Growing banana from seed indoors: frost-free and bright

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the nine listings in this comparison. Scoring note dated 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS, How to grow bananas (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Musa sikkimensis (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. RHS hardiness ratings (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Kew, Cavendish banana (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Import plants and plant products from non-EU countries to Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. The Palm Centre, Ensete glaucum (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Planet Banana, sowing notes (retrieved 20 October 2026)