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Re: What makes a banana-name official ??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lard Greystoke
Lard Greystoke replies:
The traditional method for initial classification of any organism is for a single individual, the TYPE SPECIMEN, to be selected, labelled and preserved. In the case of a plant, a herbarium specimen containing as much as practical of leaves, flower and fruit is obtained along with information regarding time and place of collection. The type specimen is then examined by a (presumably) qualified researcher with regard to its place within the taxonomic framework. A binomial name is then issued. If two specimens of the same species are obtained and studied by different individuals, the binomial first published in a recognized journal is recognized as the "official" form, and the specimen upon which the description is based is the type specimen. The ICBN (International Code of Botanical Nomenclature) is the accepted forum for defining processes and hammering out differences.
The concept of the "type specimen" was reached at a time when species were thought to be immutable, before the idea of evolution and before the importance of variability was understood. It is no longer thought that any individual can represent the range of variation of a whole species, and therefore an "official name" which applies perfectly well to one specimen pressed between glass plates applies with increasing ambiguity to large and varied populations, isolated populations, and hybrids. It is not always possible to clearly distinguish species, subspecies, races, hybrids, etc.
Since scientific names can be regulated by the international rules of nomenclature, they will be the same in all countries. Common names are not subject to any formal regulation.
One advantage of identifying bananas is that most cultivated forms are asexually reproduced, i.e. clones very limited in variation. The lack of variation means that the name of a clone should apply pretty exactly to any member of that clone without the ambiguity you can find in members of wild populations.
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Although this is true for wild species (and many cultivated plants as well), it does not really apply to bananas. Bananas are grouped by their genetic composition, those are fairly well kept and there has been lots of work in DNA analysis and grouping. Within each group there are multiple varieties, all very similar, but in someway different, and the names for these clones vary with region, but important part is knowing what group it is in. They are characterized by a really long list of things that is standardized and may will apply to any banana variety. The naming is different from other plants and made especially for bananas (similar naming systems may have been applied to other plants, but I have not seen it). The way bananas are named is (for example, I will use Dwarf Cavendish) Musa (AAA Group(you may designate Cavendish as well)) 'Dwarf Cavendish'. That is the most official way to name a banana, however the last part will change by region, the important part is that you have the correct genome (AA,AAA, AAB, ABB, AAAB, AABB, ABBB.... there are a few more random ones as well), and if you want to get specific, you can name the subgroup within the genome. This method was developed especially for edible bananas since it was realized they are not species, they are a myriad of combination between interspecific hybrids, intersubspecific hybrids, mutations, hybrids between wild plants and previously formed cultivated varieties. So one of the easiest ways to make any sense out of names was to state its genetic composition and clone name in lieu of classic latin binomials.
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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.
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