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Plantain diversity in the Democratic Republic of Congo


Plantain diversity in DRC

Boofo BDD

Boofo, a small French Plantain (photo by Benoit Dheda Djailo)

The diversity of Plantains in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the highest in Africa. This page is based on the accessions that were introduced to the field collection of the University of Kisangani between 2005 and 2012. Their characterization produced a list of 97 cultivars1 2 . They are listed by type — French, False Horn and Horn — which are distinguished by the presence or absence/degeneration of the male bud. Within a cluster, the cultivars are further sorted according to their size (small, medium or giant). Dwarf types can also be observed.

French Plantains

Small types

 
Akpasi Fruits shorter than Boofo’s, almost perpendicular to floral axis
Amagaba Long fruits; very lax bunch
Boofo Fruits perpendicular to floral axis and arched
Angbongbolia
Like Boofo but with blunt fruit apex
Boosa
Like Boofo but with black pseudostem
Boofo Red
Like Boofo but with red pseudostem
Manimani
Like Boofo but with yellowish immature peel
Gwekwele Fruit parallel to the floral axis and with rigid pedicel
Engwe
Like Gwekwele but with wine-red fruit peel colour
Ifel(eng)ete Ya Bolome
Like Gwekwele but with black streaks on the pericarp
Ngindaolo
Like Gwekwele but with blunt apex
Kenjala Red pseudostem, intermediate fruits with slightly waxy peel

Medium types

Typical variants

Adili Dark green pseudostem and fruits with blunt apex
Afati Red pseudostem and fruit-tips bending outwards (abaxially)
Afati Wine Red
Weak red fruit colour at the emergence of hand, becoming wine-red at maturity.
Afati Black
Medium Afati with black pseudostem
Akadja
Dark green pseudostem and fruits with salient apex. Looks like medium variant of Litete (a giant type)
Luizi
Like Afati but with green pseudostem and yellow fruit peel before maturity
Ongua
Like Afati but with green fruit-peel colour at emergence of hands, which progressively becomes red with the maturity
Amakoko II With intermediate fruit apex and outward bending fruit tips
Bakpala Red pseudostem with sub-horizontal bunch
Lolipili Dark green pseudostem with red petiole margins and dark green fruit peel
Magoma I With blunt apex. Looks  like medium form of Lindimama
Magoma II
Like Magoma I but with outward bending fruittips
Masekpe Medium variant of Kodje (a giant French Plantain)
Sika Black streaks on pericarp
Bhegisi
Like Sika but with black pseudostem
Sugbe Red pseudostem and leaves, green salient fruits 
Yelola Red pseudostem and bright red fruit-peel at emergence, becoming rusty-red at maturity
Yumba Prototype of medium French plantain with slightly curved fruits
Yumba Black
Like Yumba but with black pseudostem

Atypical variants

Buambala With 1 fruit per hand
Bondele
Like Buambala but with yellowish fruit
Egbe-O-Mabese II Horn-like fruits, neutral-and-male flowers French-like, but degenerating male bud
Kambolokoso Pronounced wrinkles on the fruit
Maboto Unusually long pedicels

Giant types

Typical variants

Akokailongo Green pseudostem with green fruit-peel colour at emergence of hands, which progressively becomes red at maturity
Aleke Spiraloid bunch
Amakoko I Green pseudostem and intermediate fruit apex
Bokoka Liloka Red pseudostem with blunt apex
Bolomaise Slightly angled bunch with 9-12 hands and blunt apex
Bosakaraka I Bunch with ? 12 hands, salient and outward bending fruit tips
Andula
Like Bosakaraka I but with black pseudostem
Boleko
Like Bosakaraka I but with white streaks on the pericarp
Bosakaraka II
Like Bosakaraka I but with blunt apex
Bosua 9-12 hands. Fruits larger than those of Bosakaraka I, red pseudostem
Chwachwa
Like Bosua but  with green pseudostem
Kpoolo Red pseudostem and intermediate fruit apex
Kodje Very compact bunch with bottle-necked fruit apex
Lindimama Short fruits with very blunt apex
Litete Dark green pseudostem and fruits
Atili
Like Litete but with white streaks on the pericarp
Lokoka The inner side fruits very intermingled
Wilingwa
Like Lokoka but with 2 or 3 clumps just before the male bud
Yeli
Like Lokoka but with yellowish pericarp before maturity
Mongele Red pseudostem with yellow pericarp before maturity

Atypical variants

Inekeleikumi Unusually short, fat and straight fruits with intermediate apex
Libanga Liboelabokoi Monoserial with green pseudostem
Libanga Lib. red
Like Libanga Liboelabokoi but with red pseudostem
Ketota
Like Libanga Liboelabokoi but with yellow fruit peel before maturity

Semi-dwarf types

Akoy Blunt apex and green pseudostem 
Amuku
Like Akoy but with red pseudostem

Dwarf types

Nguku Dwarf with a compact bunch
Yungu
Like Nguku but with a red pseudostem colour

False Horn Plantains

Small types

Akoto Quasi-blunt fruit apex; pendulous bunch
Boon
Like Akoto but with straight fruits
Bubungu
Like Akoto but with fleshy flower relicts on fruit apex
Amakake Fruits perpendicular to floral axis and arched
Babele Ba Poku Yellowish immature and straight fruits on pendulous bunch
Leese Small form of the medium type Libanga Likale

Medium types

Egbe-O-Mabese I Distinct from Egbe-O-Mabese II (a medium French Plantain) because of the relict bracts at the end of the rachis
Libanga Likale At maturity, the bunch looks pendulous, asymmetric in fruit orientation, pointing to sub-horizontal
Apoka
Like Libanga Likale but with blunt apex
Kese
Like Libanga but with black streaks on the pericarp
Libanga Lifombo
Like Libanga but with red pseudostem. Shows trend to Giant form.
Libanga Multiple
Like Libanga but with bunch split in 2 or more
Libanga Black
Like Libanga but with black pseudostem
Libanga Dark Green
Like Libanga but with dark green pseudostem and fruits
Mangweyangweya
Like Libanga but with white streaks on the pericarp
Mogbokuma
Like Libanga but with curved fruits like horn
Mongobe
Like Libanga but with green fruit-peel colour at emergence of hands, which progressively becomes red with the maturity
Nembundu
Like Libanga but with wine-red fruit colour in the maturity
Lingu Yellowish immature and curved fruits on pendulous bunch.
Taena Pambe Sub-horizontal bunch with blunt apex fruit apex

Semi-dwarf types

Bokpeta    Semi-dwarf Libanga with longer male inflorescence than usual for False Horn
Mumuliagbia
   
Like Bokpeta but with a horizontal bunch and shorter fruits
Apoka Magbuge     Short and ‘fat’ fruits, with almost blunt apex and dried flower vestiges

Horn Plantains

Small types

Nselenge Pendulous bunch with fruits perpendicular to the inflorescence axis 

Medium types

Lokusu Pendulous, long fruits; yellowish immature pericarp; green pseudostem; 2-4 hands
Lokusu Red
Like Lokusu but with red pseudostem
Mongo
Like Lokusu but with more than 4 hands

Giant types

Ikpolo Horizontal to erect fruits, always green when immature
Bokangasoku
Like Ikpolo but with a single straight and radically ageotropic hand
Ikpolo Black
Like Ikpolo but with black pseudostem
Ikpolo Red
Like Ikpolo but with red pseudostem
Moikili
Like Ikpolo but with dark green pseudostem and fruit

Dwarf type

Tala Lola Dwarf form of Ikpolo

References

2 The Plantains of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 28 July 2014 issue of InfoMus@.