Taxonomy
The genus Musa is in the family Musaceae. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from 1998), assigns Musaceae to the order Zingiberales in the clade commelinids in the monocotyledonous flowering plants. Some sources assert that the banana's genus, Musa, is named for Antonius Musa, physician to the Emperor Augustus. Others say that Linnaeus, who named the genus in 1750, simply adapted an Arabic word for banana, mauz. The word banana itself might have come from the Arabic banan, which means "finger", or perhaps from Wolof banaana. The genus contains many species; several produce edible fruit, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.
Banana classification has long been a problematic issue for taxonomists due to the way Linnaeus originally classified bananas as two species based only on their methods of consumption, Musa sapientum for dessert bananas and Musa paradisiaca for plantains. However, this simplistic classification has proved to be inadequate to address the sheer number of cultivars (many of them synonymous) existing in its primary center of diversity, Southeast Asia.
Ernest Cheesman first discovered that Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca, described by Linnaeus, were actually cultivars and descendants of two wild and seedy species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, both first described by Luigi Aloysius Colla. He recommended their abolition in favor of reclassifying bananas according to three morphologically distinct cultivars – those primarily exhibiting the botanical characteristics of Musa balbisiana, those primarily exhibiting the botanical characteristics of Musa acuminata, and those with characteristics that are the combination of the two.
Researchers Norman Simmonds and Ken Shepherd proposed the genome-based nomenclature system in 1955. This system eliminated almost all the difficulties and inconsistencies of the nomenclature system of bananas based on Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca. Despite this, Musa paradisiaca is still recognized by some authorities today, leading to confusion.
Generally, modern classifications of banana cultivars follow Simmonds' and Shepherd's system. The accepted names for bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana or Musa acuminata × balbisiana, depending on their genetic ancestry.
Synonyms include:
- Musa × sapientum
- Musa paradisiaca
- Musa × paradisiaca
- Musa paradisiaca subsp. Musa sapientum
- Musa rosacea
- Musa violacea
- Musa cliffortiana
- Musa dacca
- Musa rosacea
- Musa × paradisiaca subsp. sapientum
- Musa × paradisiaca var. dacca
For the banana cultivar previously referred to as Musa sapientum, see Latundan Banana. For bananas and plantains previously referred to as Musa paradisiaca, see Plantain.
For a list of the cultivars classified under the new system see List of banana cultivars.
| Species | Musa acuminata | Musa balbisiana |
|---|---|---|
| Color of pseudostem | Black or grey-brown spots | Unmarked or slightly marked |
| Petiole canal | Erect edge, with scarred inferior leaves, not against the pseudostem | Closed edge, without leaves, against the pseudostem |
| Stalk | Covered with fine hair | Smooth |
| Pedicels | Short | Long |
| Ovum | Two regular rows in the locule | Four irregular rows in the locule |
| Elbow of the bract | Tall (< 0.28) | Short (> 0.30) |
| Bend of the bract | The bract wraps behind the opening | The bract raises without bending behind the opening |
| Form of the bract | Lance- or egg-shaped, tapering markedly after the bend | Broadly egg-shaped |
| Peak of the bract | Acute | Obtuse |
| Color of the bract | Dark red or yellow on the outside, opaque purple or yellow on the inside | Brown-purple on the outside, crimson on the inside |
| Discoloration | The inside of the bract is more bright toward the base | The inside of the bract is uniform |
| Scarification of the bract | Prominent | Not prominent |
| Free tepal of the male flower | Corrugated under the point | Rarely corrugated |
| Color of the male flower | White or cream | Pink |
| Color of the markings | Orange or bright yellow | Cream, yellow, or pale pink |
In 2012 a team of scientists announced they had achieved a draft sequence of the banana genome (Musa acuminata).
Read more about this topic: Banana