Blood banana

Blood Banana
A typical young specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Musaceae
Genus:	Musa
Species:	M. acuminata Colla, 1820
Subspecies:	M. a. zebrina
Trinomial name
Musa acuminata ssp. zebrina (Van Houtte) R. E. Nasution
Synonyms
Musa acuminata var. zebrina (Van Houtte ex Planch.) Nasution Musa rojo Hort. Musa sumatrana Becc. Musa sumatrana Becc. ex André Musa sumatrana 'Rubra' Hort. Musa zebrina Van Houtte ex Planchon Musa zebrina (Van Houtte) Backer Musa zebrina 'Rojo' Hort.

The blood banana (Musa acuminata ssp. zebrina), is a subspecies of the wild banana Musa acuminata native to Sumatra, Indonesia. The blood banana is an ornamental plant, named for the dark red patches on its leaves, though its small seeded fruits are also edible.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

The blood banana is a subspecies of the wild banana species Musa acuminata, one of the two ancestors of modern edible bananas. They were once classified as separate species under the now invalid names (synonyms) Musa zebrina and Musa sumatrana. They were also sometimes incorrectly classified as cultivars.^[1]

Blood bananas are also known as the red banana tree though it should not be confused with the red banana cultivar. The following are the other common names applied to blood bananas:^[2]

• English: Blood banana, Seeded red banana, Sumatra ornamental banana, Maroon-variegated banana plant.
• French: Bananier à feuilles zébrées de rouge, Bananier à feuilles zébrées de violet, Bananier à petits fruits rouges, Bananier ornemental de Sumatra, Bananier Zébrina.
• Japanese: ゼブリナバナナ (Zeburina banana)
• Russian: Декоративный банан (Dekorativnyj banan)
• Spanish: Banana rojo.
• Thai: กล้วยมะนี (Kluai ma ni)
• Vietnamese: Chuối kiểng

Description

Blood bananas are characterized by dark red patches of variable sizes on their dark green leaves. Their pseudostems are characteristically very slender. They bear small slender fruits filled with grape-like seeds.^[3]

Distribution

Blood bananas are native to Java, Indonesia. They are notable for being one of the earliest banana subspecies to be spread by humans out of Southeast Asia. Introduced eastward to Africa, it became the ancestors for the genetically distinct and commercially important East African Highland bananas (Mutika/Lujugira subgroup of the AAA group).^[3]

It is probably the only seeded banana to ever be introduced into Hawaii before European contact. It is known as the Mai'a 'Oa in Hawaiian, though the name is also applied to the species Musa balbisiana which was introduced later on.^[3]

Gallery

• 

  Essentially unpatterned young plant at Longwood Gardens

• 

  Closeup of a strongly patterned leaf

• 

  Inflorescence

See Also

• Banana
• Banana Cultivar Groups
• East African Highland bananas
• Musa
• Musa acuminata
• Musaceae

References

1. ^ "Musa acuminata Colla var. zebrina (Van Houtte ex Planch.) Nasution". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?458145. Retrieved June 28, 2011. 
2. ^ Michel H. Porcher (March 22, 2011). "Sorting Musa names". The University of Melbourne. http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Musa.html. Retrieved June 28, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Randy C. Ploetz, Angela Kay Kepler, Jeff Daniells, & Scot C. Nelson (2007). "Banana and plantain — an overview with emphasis on the Pacific island cultivars". Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (Traditional Tree Initiative). http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Banana-plantain-overview.pdf. Retrieved June 5, 2011.