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Musa balbisiana

Authority
FamilyLiliopsida:Zingiberidae:Zingiberales:Musaceae
Synonyms
Common names
Editor
Ecocrop code2507



Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A plant with a fleshy, watery stem made up of large, spirally arranged, overlapping leaf bases called sheaths. The plant stands erect, 1.5-6 m tall and the stem has a diameter of up to 30 cm at the base. Leaves are 1-2 m long and up to 60 cm wide. The inflorescence is horizontal or pendulous. Fruits may be 10-25 cm long, green, yellow or brown, cylindric or angled, and seeded or seedless. USES It is mainly grown for its edible fruits. The ripe fruit is boiled, baked, fried, or roasted and is made into a type of vinegar, and it also have medicinal properties. Young stalks and leaves are fed to livestock and leaves are used for wrapping foods, for cooking and as plates. The underground stem can be eaten as a vegetable. KILLING T Damaged at temperatures below 8-12°C. GROWING PERIOD Giant French platains (15-18 months), Medium French platains (12-15 months) and False Horn platains (12 months). COMMON NAMES Plantain banana, Saba, Dippig, Saging, Bisce, Opispo. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: M. brachycarpa. Plantains wild ancestors can still be found in the forests of the eastern part of India and in the Malesian area. In the humid tropics, it can be found at elevations between sea level and 1200 m. In the wild it occur mainly in forests, on forest edges, in ravines and on water sides. It is sensitive to strong winds. Mentioned as a possible agroforestry species.
Sources
SOURCES (M. balbisiana Colla (BB & BBB genomes))
Samson J 1986 pp 139-189 [TEMP, LIG, RAIN, LIMIT, PH]
Purseglove J 1972 pp 345-377 [TEMP, LIG, RAIN, TEXT, DRA, FER]
Hensleigh T 1988 pp 234-243 [PH, DRA, SAL, TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, LIMITS, USE]
Siemonsma J 1993 pp 215-217 [[USE, LIG, RAIN, TEMP, DEP, TEXT, DRA, LIMIT]