Musa acuminata (AAA)

 
 
      The banana plant is a herbaceous, evergreen perennial that bears long slender fruit in bunches. It is herbaceous because after the fruit is harvested the leaves, stems and flowers die off and the banana plant has no woody structure. The banana plant can grow from heights of 6 feet to 20 feet. The banana plant is a perennial due to the new suckers (modified stems) that grow from the base of the plant to replace the components that have died.


    The origin of the edible banana is still under debate but we have a certain understanding of where our love for the fruit all began. Edible varieties of bananas developed from flourishing, seed-bearing, inedible ancestors of the southeastern regions of Asia and  the western Pacific lands. 


    Two particular  inedible species of Musa are chiefly responsible for creating edible variations of this fruit.  In the drier monsoon regions of southeastern Asia, the lands were dominated by the starchy, disease resistant variety of the Musa balbisiana. Within the humid, tropical  Malaysian regions the sweet, appetizing dessert fruits of Musa acuminata overshadow the land. Through the cultivation of these Musa species by ancient civilizations, genetic crossing occurred producing numerous hybrids. Today, the pure Musa acuminata (AAA) breed is the main seedless variety of banana that is consumed in massive quantities globally.








   
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The Incredible Edible Banana:

Musa acuminata (AAA)