Lady Finger banana
Encyclopedia
Lady Finger bananas are diploid cultivar
s of Musa acuminata. Their fruits are small, thin-skinned, and very sweet.
. They were once placed under the Sucrier group in the old system of classification.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata Colla (AA Group) cv. 'Lady Finger'.
Synonyms
include:
It is known in English
as Lady finger banana, Sugar banana, Finger banana, Fig banana, Date banana, or Sucrier. In the US, this cultivar is also known as 'Glui Kai', a name of Thai origin popularized by Agristarts. The Thai name is กล้วยไข่ (RTGS
: kluai khai, IPA: [kluːəj kʰaj], lit. 'egg bana) and the Malaysian name is pisang mas. Similarly, in Cambodia, it is referred to as chek pong moan , lit. 'chicken-egg banana', where it is considered the national fruit of Cambodia by royal decree.
In Australia
, the name 'Lady Finger banana' refers to another banana cultivar, the Pome banana (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AAB Group) cv. 'Pome'). In Hawaii
and the West Indies, 'Lady Finger' is also used to describe the Ney Poovan banana cultivar (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AB Group) cv. 'Ney Poovan').
and is propagated asexually.It is very susceptible to panama disease.
The fruit is 4 to 5 inches (10-12.5 cm) in length, and light yellow. The skin is thin and the flesh is sweet. 12 to 20 fingers are borne in each hand, with each bunch typically having 10 to 14 hands.
Dwarf Lady Finger bananas, typically growing only up to 15 ft in height, are also cultivated as houseplants.
and very susceptible to the Panama disease
.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of Musa acuminata. Their fruits are small, thin-skinned, and very sweet.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
The Lady Finger banana is a diploid (AA) cultivar of the seeded banana Musa acuminataMusa acuminata
Musa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...
. They were once placed under the Sucrier group in the old system of classification.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata Colla (AA Group) cv. 'Lady Finger'.
Synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
include:
- Musa acuminata Colla (AA Group) cv. 'Sucrier'
- Musa acuminata Colla (Sucrier Group) cv. 'Lady's Finger'
- Musa × paradisiaca L. cv. 'Lady Finger'
- Musa × paradisiaca L. cultigroup Sucrier cv. 'Doigt de Femme'
- Musa × paradisiaca L. cultigroup Saccharinus cv. 'Lady's Finger'
- Musa × paradisiaca L. cultigroup Saccharinus cv. 'Dedo de Dama'
- Musa acuminata Colla non L. (Sucrier Group) cv. 'Datil'
- Musa acuminata Colla non L. (Sucrier Group) cv. 'Niño'
- Musa acuminata Colla non L. (Sucrier Group) cv. 'Bocadillo'
It is known in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Lady finger banana, Sugar banana, Finger banana, Fig banana, Date banana, or Sucrier. In the US, this cultivar is also known as 'Glui Kai', a name of Thai origin popularized by Agristarts. The Thai name is กล้วยไข่ (RTGS
Royal Thai General System of Transcription
The Royal Thai General System of Transcription is the official system for rendering Thai language words in the Latin alphabet, published by the Royal Institute of Thailand...
: kluai khai, IPA: [kluːəj kʰaj], lit. 'egg bana) and the Malaysian name is pisang mas. Similarly, in Cambodia, it is referred to as chek pong moan , lit. 'chicken-egg banana', where it is considered the national fruit of Cambodia by royal decree.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the name 'Lady Finger banana' refers to another banana cultivar, the Pome banana (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AAB Group) cv. 'Pome'). In Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and the West Indies, 'Lady Finger' is also used to describe the Ney Poovan banana cultivar (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AB Group) cv. 'Ney Poovan').
Description
Lady Finger bananas can grow to a height of 25 ft (7.5 m). Its pseudostem is slender and streaked with reddish brown, but it has a heavy root system that makes it resistant to wind damage. It is resistant to drought and Black Weevil, but is susceptible to Sigatoka. It blooms during mid-summer, late summer, and early fall. It is monocarpicMonocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower, set seeds and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle....
and is propagated asexually.It is very susceptible to panama disease.
The fruit is 4 to 5 inches (10-12.5 cm) in length, and light yellow. The skin is thin and the flesh is sweet. 12 to 20 fingers are borne in each hand, with each bunch typically having 10 to 14 hands.
Uses
Lady Finger bananas are eaten fresh or used in desserts. They are known for being sweeter than the common Cavendish-type bananas.Dwarf Lady Finger bananas, typically growing only up to 15 ft in height, are also cultivated as houseplants.
Diseases
Lady Finger are vulnerable to Black sigatokaBlack sigatoka
Black Sigatoka is a leaf spot disease of banana plants caused by ascomycete fungusMycosphaerella fijiensis . Plants with leaves damaged by the disease may have up to 50% lower yield of fruit...
and very susceptible to the Panama disease
Panama disease
Panama disease, a Fusarium wilt, is a banana plant disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The fungus attacks the roots of the banana plant. The disease is resistant to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.-History:...
.
See also
- BananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
- Banana cultivar groupsBanana cultivar groupsAlmost all modern edible banana and plantain cultivars are hybrids and polyploids of the wild, seeded bananas Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. They are almost always seedless and hence sterile, so they are propagated vegetatively...
- MusaMusa (genus)Musa is one of three genera in the family Musaceae; it includes bananas and plantains. There are over 50 species of Musa with a broad variety of uses....
- Musa acuminataMusa acuminataMusa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...