Bananas.org - View Single Post - Which Of These Two Nam Wah Bananas Is The Real Deal?

Gabe15 · 08-29-2011, 01:58 PM

There are many different types of Namwah and they are all closely related. Sometimes there is another name attached to distinguish different forms, such as 'Namwah Khom'. In edible banana taxonomy, there are no classic scientific names. Instead, cultivars are classified into genome groups (of which the two you have in question is the ABB subgroup called Pisang Awak) and the local name is retained. Often, large lists of synonyms have to be generated to make sense of the names, but often the same name is used for different plants, and of course different names are used for the same plant, so it can get quite confusing.

So there is no "real" 'Namwah' per se, if people are calling both of those varieties 'Namwah', then they are both known as 'Namwah' and that is legitimate. It is also hard to tell some of the differences between plants just by looking at the fruit. You get a bunch of different Namwah-type plants that all produce an identical fruit, even though the plants could vary quite a lot in other traits. So even the variety you see which is always called 'Namwah' may be a few different cultivars in actuality, but the fruit by itself cannot be distinguished.

As for 'Nam wa' vs. 'Nam Wah' vs. 'Namwah', it doesn't matter too much since they are all transliterations anyways, and all are commonly used.

08-29-2011, 01:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,476,580 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 8,245 Times in 2,201 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Which Of These Two Nam Wah Bananas Is The Real Deal? There are many different types of Namwah and they are all closely related. Sometimes there is another name attached to distinguish different forms, such as 'Namwah Khom'. In edible banana taxonomy, there are no classic scientific names. Instead, cultivars are classified into genome groups (of which the two you have in question is the ABB subgroup called Pisang Awak) and the local name is retained. Often, large lists of synonyms have to be generated to make sense of the names, but often the same name is used for different plants, and of course different names are used for the same plant, so it can get quite confusing. So there is no "real" 'Namwah' per se, if people are calling both of those varieties 'Namwah', then they are both known as 'Namwah' and that is legitimate. It is also hard to tell some of the differences between plants just by looking at the fruit. You get a bunch of different Namwah-type plants that all produce an identical fruit, even though the plants could vary quite a lot in other traits. So even the variety you see which is always called 'Namwah' may be a few different cultivars in actuality, but the fruit by itself cannot be distinguished. As for 'Nam wa' vs. 'Nam Wah' vs. 'Namwah', it doesn't matter too much since they are all transliterations anyways, and all are commonly used. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.