Loading...
 

Wild species of banana


Wild species of bananas
Musa velutina
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.

1 Häkkinen, M. and Väre, H. 2008. Typification and check-list of Musa L. names (Musaceae) with nomenclatural notes. Adansonia 30(1):63-112.
2 Kew Royal Botanic Gardens curates the world checklist of selected plant families. To generate the complete list of species (which includes both the accepted and non-accepted names, also called synonyms) type Musa in the search field. Note that the list also includes cultivars, even though the use of Latin names for cultivars has been discouraged since the development of a nomenclature system specific to edible bananas.
 
Accepted names
Musa arfakiana
Musa argentii
Musa arunachalensis
Musa aurantiaca
Musa azizi
Musa banksii
Musa barioensis
Musa basjoo
Musa bauensis
Musa beccarii
Musa boman
Musa borneensis
Musa bukensis
Musa campestris
Musa celebica
Musa cheesmanii
Musa chunii
Musa coccinea
Musa cylindrica
Musa exotica
Musa fitzalanii
Musa gracilis
Musa griersonii
Musa hirta
Musa indandamanensis
Musa ingens
Musa insularimonta
Musa jackeyi
Musa johnsii
Musa kamengensis
Musa kattuvazhana
Musa lanceolata
Musa laterita
Musa lawitiensis
Musa lolodensis
Musa lolok
Musa lutea
Musa maclayi
Musa mannii
Musa markkui
Musa monticola
Musa muluensi
Musa nagensium
Musa ochracea
Musa ornata
Musa paracoccinea
Musa peekelii
Musa puspanjalia
Musa rosea
Musa rubinea
Musa rubra
Musa ruiliensis
Musa sabuana
Musa sakaiana
Musa salaccensis
Musa sanguinea
Musa shankarii
Musa siamensis
Musa sikkimensis
Musa splendida
Musa textilis
Musa thomsonii
Musa tonkinensis
Musa tuberculata
Musa velutina
Musa violascens
Musa viridis
Musa vooni
Musa yunnanensis
Musa zaifui