bananas101

Is there a Musa identification key which helps sort out all these varieties and species?

smjmd

Not that I have ever found over the last 3 decades of growing banana plants, other than that it is searching books, internet, and the best bet, the pro's on this website, there are alot of great and intelligent growers that know their stuff on this site. Good luck, if you ever find anything such as that or if anybody else does, please post it!!!!

Markku Hakkinen

All the Musa species, subspecies and varieties have been keyed. The problem is that thay are several different books / articles.
Markku.

venturabananas

Really Markku? If you include edible cultivars as varieties, that claim seems highly unlikely, given that there are no universally accepted names and debate over how many truly distinct cultivars exist. Or are edible cultivars not included when bananaphiles use the term "variety"?

__________________

bananas101

I guess I wish too much for a tree diagram showing the lineage of the Musa species and varieties. That would make an awesome idea for a PhD project along with a genetic map.

jmoore

Sounds like someone needs to do a literature review...any takers?

bananas101

I think I heard crickets chirping... lol

@fmoore btw, I've been to Qew Gardens and I'd live there if they would let me.

Gabe15

Markku was referring to botanical varieties, not cultivars (cultivated varieties, ie. edible bananas). Variety is a taxonomic rank below the species level.

As mentioned before, it is impractical to make a key including all cultivars as there are too many names and too much diversity for it to be useful or even possible to be made.

There are some keys which have been made for regional diversity, and those can be useful. For example, a key could be made for the top 25 most common bananas in Southern Florida, or Hawaii. But to just cover everything, it is not practical.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

bananas101

LOL I've only scratched the surface about educating my self on the subject. I just hoped with so many banana nuts that one OCD person would have compiled a list of organization some where. I do see your point, some lineages probably are shouded in mystery or lost to the world. It is probably futile, but I'll tinker around with the subject til I bore of it.

venturabananas

That "variety" has official taxonomic rank in Botany was new to me. It does not in Zoology, which uses "subspecies", and even that term has questionable value because it is hard to define its meaning.

__________________

Gabe15

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

bananas101

Im guessing.....but most edible bananas would be something like Musa acuminata. So Musa 'Orinoco' would be listed something like Musa acuminata subvar. orinoco ?

@Gabe btw did you happen to glance at that thread of the dwarf banana identification where I posted some pics?

Gabe15

Wild bananas and edible have totally different taxonomic naming systems. In the example you provided, Musa 'Orinoco' is incomplete, but more or less correct. Musa acuminata subvar. orinoco is totally incorrect and names like that should be avoided. The full proper name of the cultivar 'Orinoco' is Musa (ABB Bluggoe) 'Orinoco'.


I will post a reply to that thread.

__________________
Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

bananas101

I googled your description and came up with this one.
Musa acuminata x balbisiana Colla (ABB Group) cv. 'Bluggoe'

Here is the site I found it at. Anyone know of a better site than this one to put things into perspective?

Sorting Musa names.html

HOLY $H#*!!! Simply mind boggling!!! Very helpful though

M.M.P.N.D. - Sorting Musa cultivated varieties (cultivars) names