PTP_2008_04

Plants That Produce

Been Nuts, Gone Bananas

By Richard Frost

Lately there have been some stories in the media about the eminent demise of the banana fruit we buy at the grocery store. This is true: poor propagation techniques and over-planting of this variety has led to the development of a killer fungal infection which severely impacts the common commercial banana. This is probably a good thing. There are other varieties of bananas that we could be receiving that are both superior in flavor and disease hardiness – including cooking bananas which for many people in the U.S. is a treat they’ve been missing. Even better yet, you don’t have to wait a half decade or so for better tasting bananas to arrive at the stores. You can grow them right here in San Diego!

What most people think of as a banana tree is actually a pseudo-stem with some leafs on the end which eventually flowers and fruits. The growth center of the plant is underground in a tuber called a corm. It is not too far off to characterize the banana plant as a bulb that sends up leafs and a huge flower. There are hundreds of varieties ranging from under 4 foot to over 40 feet in height.

Most edible fruiting bananas come from the Genus Musa, and there are also a few from the Genus Eumusa. They are all thought to have originated in the present-day area of Burma and Thailand, then taken to India, and then from there on to many regions of the world. The seedless bananas we eat are all hybrids, some naturally occurring and others bred by humans. Because all edible banana plants are seedless, they are obtained either as a bare corm or a potted corm with a pseudo-stem sticking out.

The extensive travels of the banana plant have led to many exotic names from far-flung cultures. The names Kluay, Mai’a, and Pisang translate to “Banana” in Thai, Hawaiian, and Malay. Hok and Pendek mean short or dwarf, while Hom and Raja translate to fragrant and royal. Some banana names also indicate place of origin, for example: Kluay Namwa is a banana variety from the Namwa region of Burma.

Edible bananas come in many fruit sizes, many flavors, many ranges of cold hardiness, and several variations in disease hardiness. Some cultivars to try here in San Diego are: Dwarf Brazilian, Dwarf Orinoco, Golden Rhinohorn, Pisang Raja, and 1000 Fingers. You should also try a cooking banana like Ebun Musak or FHIA-21 – they are the “potatoes” of the tropics!

Now it turns out that one of the leading world experts in backyard banana culture is our own SDHS member Jon Verdick. At his web site www.webebananas.com you will find information on easy steps to growing bananas, what varieties he has in stock, and enough detailed information on bananas to keep you busy until this time next year. Another web site to consider visiting is www.bananas.org. It is a forum for banana growers and gardening enthusiasts from all over the world and the best online gardening community web site I have found to date.

SDHS member Richard Frost is also member of the California Rare Fruit Growers. For more information, see www.plantsthatproduce.com. To see many kinds of bananas thriving in San Diego visit the Subtropical Fruit Garden at Quail Botanical Gardens and walk along "Banana Boulevard".