Welcome aboard, Jeremy
! Sounds like ya already know something! There are members who are just as dedicated to true Gros Michel, here, and Florida sounds like a super place to start! It's a very friendly and info-packed site. If ya have any questions about using the forum, just ask!
Kevin ,
(just pass-up anything ya already know)
The Gros Michel was the 1st cultivar to be sold commercially - till around 1960. It was taken out by Panama wilt fungus & replaced by the Cavendish cultivar discovered in a botanical garden in Vietnam (Saigon, I think). The song "We got no bananas" was based on that disaster. Gros Michel was a better tasting banana.
FHIA is Fundacion Hondurena De Investigacion Agricola. In English, The Honduran Agricultural Research Foundation. Here's a link to their site:
FHIA Corporation Home Page
They've been in charge of the whole banana industry since the beginning. They also are in charge of coming up with new cultivars. FHIA 23 is an offshoot of the Gros Michel, not the original cultivar.
Hope that helps
!