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What family does a banana belong to?
Musaceae
Musaceae, the banana family of plants (order Zingiberales), consisting of 2 genera, Musa and Ensete, with about 50 species native to Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Are bananas one species?
Despite their smooth texture, bananas actually do have small seeds inside, but they are commercially propagated through cuttings which means that all bananas are actually clones of each other. Banana fruits are parthenocarpic, which means that they don’t need to be pollinated to produce fruits.
How many species are there of bananas?
There are over 1000 different varieties of bananas growing around the world, subdivided into 50 groups. Some are sweet, like the Cavendish variety, which is the most common and most widely exported. It is named after Musa Cavendishii and was first grown at Chatsworth House in the UK in 1830.
Why do we only eat Cavendish bananas?
Around the 1950s, a deadly fungus called Panama disease started infecting banana plantations. Panama disease wiped out the Big Mike banana, forcing producers to switch to the Cavendish banana, which is much more resistant to Panama disease.
Does the original banana still exist?
An outbreak of this disease in the 1950s destroyed the Gros Michel industry and rendered it virtually extinct. Except not entirely. The Gros Michel is still grown in Uganda, where it is called the Bogoya. It’s still found elsewhere, and science writer Anne Vézina attended a taste test held in Belgium in December 2018.
Are there wild bananas?
There are over 1,000 varieties of wild banana in the world. But 95% of banana exports come from a single cultivated variety, the Cavendish. They are basically clones, that is, genetically identical plants. This means they do not have seeds and are nicer to eat.
What happened to Chiquita bananas?
Chiquita, whose bananas are found in markets around the U.S., has agreed to sell itself to a coalition of two Brazilian companies. The two Brazilian firms are produce and juice company Cutrale Group and the global investment conglomerate Safra Group. …
What are some banana names?
AA Group Chingan banana Lacatan banana Lady Finger banana (Sugar banana) Pisang jari buaya (Crocodile fingers banana) Señorita banana (Monkoy, Arnibal banana, Cuarenta dias, Cariñosa, Pisang Empat Puluh Hari, Pisang Lampung) Sinwobogi banana
How many banana species are there?
But in fact there are over 1000 different varieties of banana, only about half of which are edible, and some only popular in exotic countries. All these varieties grow in the wild.
How many types of banana?
There are more than 500 types of bananas, although only a few make it to the market. By far the most common banana in the United States is the Cavendish , though it is certainly never labeled as such.
What are the types of bananas?
Another one of the most popular types of bananas is the Plantain banana. This type of banana is also commonly found in the United States. It doesn’t have as much sugar in it as other types of bananas do, and Plantain bananas also must be cooked before they can be eaten.