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View Full Version : Identification of some common bananas on market of Southern China


c933103
03-17-2018, 06:37 PM
Hello, I have recently been reading about different cultivars of banana, but when I tried to match what I read about them in English with some common Chinese name for different type of bananas, it doesn't seems like there are dictionary or other similar resources exists online and thus I am having difficulty in matching them. It would be nice if anyone can helps identifying what would be the English name of these bananas.

In this webpage https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/news/4lprk2.html it posted a few photo for banana that can be found on a market in Guangzhou, China:

After the header photo, the first photo with a single banana is labelled 貴妃蕉. However, the photo for bananas labelled "貴妃蕉" in the photo is yellow in color, while online search result indicate the name is used to describe a sort of red banana imported from the Philippines. Are they actually same type of banana or just different type of banana sharing same name at different part of China?
The second photo say 過山香 with description saying the banana is domestic to Nansha District, Guangzhou.
The Chinese name of this banana is 蘋果蕉 which literally translate into apple banana but I am not sure if it is same as the apple banana well known in the international market. It say it is decedent of 粉蕉 (Fen Chiao? Dwarf banana?) and have been grown in Nansha district of Guangzhou for 3-4 years by the time the article publish.
The description for 牛奶蕉 (literally translate as milk banana) say it smell like milk.
雞蛋蕉 is said to be the most petit banana there which is only slightly larger than an egg
火龍蕉 is said to be exclusive to Nansha district, the description claims it will only form new banana every three years.
[(]皇帝蕉 is said to be shorter than 過山香 (the 2nd one) and is a mix between wild type and a "Hainan" type (which the description say is also called Malay type and is brought by oversea Chinese population to Hainan to cultivate) and that it have been in Nansha for 20 years
大蕉, green in color but slight faint red near the stalk
粉蕉, it seems like the name also refer to a variety of different banana in different of China as well as outside China mainland.

edwmax
03-17-2018, 07:12 PM
In the US markets, we only have Cavendish or Gran Nain types. We don't have the verity of bananas that your markets display. ... I believe this has a lot to do with long distance shipping and the condition the bananas would arrive in. ... Us the internet to research banana types native to China and their English names.

Welcome to the forum. ... You should use the new member section to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself.

Tytaylor77
03-22-2018, 03:37 AM
It is so hard to say just basised on the fruit. Mostly fruit we may not have here.

3. Over here the “Apple banana” usually refers to Musa Manzano or Musa Brazilian. Over there it may be called Musa Latundan.

4. I remember reading somewhere of a “milk” banana plant, but I just can’t think of the name now. I’ll let you know if I think of it.

5. The tiny ones similar to an “egg” look a lot like Musa Kluai Khai or Musa Pisang Mas. They are a very sweet banana and are very popular all over SE Asia.

I know the reds can be called lots of names. Mostly Musa Nak or Musa Kung or Lok Dek or Nang Khom.

Ones with a “copper” red color I have seen called: Musa Musa Nak Kariang or Nak Phama.

The one 2 down past the last red type. It looks a lot like a Musa Saba. Just a guess. Can’t be sure!

Below that one (the last one) looks kinda like a Musa Namwa.

Can’t be sure about any of them. But maybe those names will help you track them down. Good luck!
Ty