Musa balbisiana

Musa balbisiana
The wild type of banana tree
The fruit of M. balbisiana, showing numerous seeds
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Musaceae
Genus:	Musa
Species:	M. balbisiana
Binomial name
Musa balbisiana Colla 1820
Original native ranges of the ancestors of modern edible bananas. M. acuminata is shown in green and M. balbisiana in orange.[1]
Synonyms[2]
M. bakeri Hook.f. M. brachycarpa Backer M. dechangensis J.L.Liu & M.G.Liu M. liukiuensis (Matsum.) Makino ex Kuroiwa M. × paradisiaca var. granulosa G.Forst. M. pruinosa (King ex Baker) Burkill M. × sapientum var. pruinosa (King ex Baker) A.M.Cowan & Cowan

Musa balbisiana is a species of wild banana native to eastern South Asia, northern Southeast Asia and southern China. It is one of the ancestors of modern cultivated bananas along with Musa acuminata. It grows lush leaves in clumps and grows with a more upright habit than most cultivated bananas. Flowers grow in inflorescences coloured red to maroon. The fruit are between blue and green. They are considered inedible because of the seeds they contain. It may be assumed that wild bananas used to be cooked and eaten or agriculturalists would not have developed the cultivated banana.^[3] Seeded Musa balbisiana are called "butuhan" ('with seeds') in the Philippines.^[4] Natural parthenocarpic clones occur through polyploidy and produce edible bananas. Examples of which are wild Saba Bananas.^[5]

They were first described in 1820 by the Italian botanist Luigi Aloysius Colla.^[6]

The leaves of this banana variety are used in Thailand to wrap locally-produced sweets and the inflorescence for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine.^[7]

Mythology and tradition

Wild banana trees are known in Thai as kluai tani (กล้วยตานี). In Thai folklore it is believed that this type of banana trees may be inhabited by a spirit, Nang Tani (Thai: นางตานี), a type of ghost related to trees that manifests itself as a young woman.^[8] Often people tie a length of colored satin cloth around the trunk of the banana tree.^[9]

See also

• Banana
• Banana Cultivar Groups
• Musa
• Musa acuminata
• Plantain
• Saba Banana

References

External links

• Musa balbisiana
• A type of wild banana

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