Wild species of banana

Wild species of bananas

Musa velutina

Natural range of wild bananas

At the origin of edible bananas are wild species that typically produce fruits full of seeds. Even though only a handful of species have been domesticated, the banana's wild relatives comprise more than 75 species that are native to the humid tropical forests that extend from India to the Pacific (see map).

The table below lists under 'accepted names' the species recognized by taxonomists. They are listed in alphabetical order regardless of the section into which they have been classified. The list is based on the most recent checklist1 and the species that have been published since2 . The table also lists accession names, that is the names under which wild species used in breeding have been recorded when they were introduced in genebanks.