Musa Iholena 'loha'
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Cultivar Name
Musa Iholena 'Loha'
Synonyms
Mai'a Loha
Pictures
no picture
Description
Loha is a historically described variety, whose name can translate to "drooping/wilting." It is unknown if it refers to a distinct variety, or if it is a descriptor for Iholena types with drooping fruit. Therefore, it is unclear if it is extinct, hidden in the wild, or was nonexistent to begin with.
The earliest mention is in 1869-1870 by Hawaiian historian Kamakau. The next mention is in 1904, by J.E. Higgins in his publication,
The Banana in Hawaii. Higgins did not witness the variety himself, but relays a second-hand account by Mrs. E. M. Nakuina, describing it as sharing traits with Maoli and Iholena types. Tall with leaves resembling Iholena Lele, with individual fingers drooping down unlike other Hawaiian varieties. Mrs. Nakuina had only seen it on the island of Moloka'i.
- Botanist J.F. Rock wrote in 1913 that it was synonymous with Iholena and Iho-u. This is dubious, as he made several notable errors on other known traditional banana varieties.
- V. MacCaughey wrote about Loha in 1918, but his description seems to be derived from Higgins work.
- W.T. Pope does not mention Loha in his 1926 publication, but published a revised list in the Hawaiian Annual for 1927, grouping Loha with Maoli types instead of Iholena types.
Kepler & Rust found a preserved specimen in the Bishop museum, collected in 1932 on Oahu by K. E. Y. Hosaka, with a brief field note of "The fruit hangs down". The preserved specimen was noted as having traits in line with Iholena types, but there is a lack of accompanying useful info. Kepler & Rust chose to keep it as a distinct variety in their publication, in recognition of the Hawaiian name, but noted the possiblity that it wasn't a truly distinct variety. Iholena Lele has been documented as sometimes having drooping fruit, with otherwise identical clones from the same source, exhibiting erect and drooping bunches side by side.
- Genetic Group - AAB, Iholena Subgroup
Origin
Hawaii
Cultivation
- Mature Height - 14-18 ft. (MacCaughey, 1918)
- Taste Description - "[...] very good but slight bruising even while green destroys its texture." (Higgins, 1903)
Research Notes
- Links to useful discussion threads in the forum:
External
- Links
- (Links to other useful pages on the web that mention this banana. Example: International Banana Society)
- Sources
Higgins, J.E. 1904. The Banana in Hawaii. Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 7:1-53. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/9040
Rock, J.F. 1913. List of Hawaiian Names of Plants. Territory of Hawaii Board of Agriculture and Forestry, Botanical Bulletin No. 2. 20p.
MacCaughey, V. 1918. The Native Bananas of the Hawaiian Islands. The Plant World, Vol.21, No.1, 12p. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43477609
Pope, W.T. 1926. Banana Culture in Hawaii. Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 55:1-48. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ufl1.ark:/13960/t45q66248;view=1up;seq=1;size=75
Pope, W.T. 1927. Bananas of the Territory of Hawaii. Hawaiian Annual, Vol. 53: 106-110.
Kepler, A.K. and Rust, F.G. 2011. The world of bananas in Hawai'i: then and now. Pali-O-Waipi'o press, Hawaii. 586p. https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/the-world-of-bananas-in-hawaii-then-and-now/
