Botanical name of banana

Botanical Classification of Banana

The botanical name for banana is Musa acuminata. It is a member of the Musaceae family, which also includes plantains and other varieties of bananas.

Bananas are herbaceous perennial plants that are native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. They are characterized by their large, green, oblong leaves and their long, hanging clusters of yellow, green, or red fruit.

Bananas are classified as a type of berry, and are actually the largest herbaceous flowering plants in the world. They are often grown for their fruit, which is a staple food in many tropical countries and is also widely consumed in other parts of the world.

In terms of classification, bananas belong to the order Zingiberales, which includes other flowering plants such as ginger, turmeric, and cardamom. Within this order, they are placed in the Musaceae family, along with plantains and other varieties of bananas.

Bananas are an important crop for many farmers around the world, and they are also a popular choice for home gardeners in tropical and subtropical regions. They are relatively easy to grow and care for, and can be grown in a variety of soil types as long as they receive enough water and sunlight.

In addition to their use as a food source, bananas are also used in a variety of other applications, including the production of fibers, paper, and other products. They are also used in traditional medicine and have been found to have a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and aiding in weight loss.

Overall, the botanical name for banana is Musa acuminata, and it is a member of the Musaceae family and the order Zingiberales. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, and is widely cultivated for its fruit, which is a staple food in many parts of the world.

Let's have a quick recap:

• The botanical name of banana is Musa spp 
• It belongs to KingdomPlantae
• It is an Angiosperms
• It is a Monocots
• It belongs the Commelinids
• The Order of banana is known as  Zingiberales
• It is a member of Family Musaceae
• Its Genus is Musa

Banana species and their Botanical names

Musa acuminata - edible banana

Musa balbisiana  - banana

Musa paradisiaca. - French plantain

Musa coccinea - scarlet banana

Musa velutina - hairy banana

Musa textilis - abaca 

Musa troglodytarum - Fe'i banana

The majorly grown bananas are Musa acuminaia, Musa balbisiana and Musa paradisiaca (hybrid of Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana).

The cultivated banana is often listed in botanical references as Musa x paradisiaca (Musaceae), although it is actually a complex hybrid derived from two diploid Asian species, M. acuminata and M. balbisiana. Musa acuminata is a species native to the Malay Peninsula and adjacent regions and is thought to have given rise in total or in part to all edible banana varieties. Musa balbisiana is found from India eastwards to the tropical Pacific. This hybridisation probably occurred as Musa acuminata plants (2n genome = AA) were increasingly cultivated over the distributional range of Musa balbisiana (2n genome = BB). Although the Musa acuminata cultivars were sterile because of being seedless, they did produce fertile pollen.

Botanical description of banana 

The banana is the largest growing herbaceous flowering plant which grows all its upper part from a structure call corm. 

It has a false stem called pseudostem which appears like a trunk. 

The banana plant is a gigantic herb that springs from an underground stem, to form a false trunk 3–6 metres (10–20 feet) high. 

This trunk is composed of the basal portions of leaf sheaths and is crowned with a rosette of 10 to 20 oblong to elliptic leaves that sometimes attain a length of 3–3.5 metres (10–11.5 feet) and a breadth of 65 cm (26 inches). A large flower spike, carrying numerous yellowish flowers protected by large purple-red bracts, emerges at the top of the false trunk and bends downward to become bunches of 50 to 150 individual fingers. 

The individual bananas are grouped in clusters, or hands, of 10 to 20. After a plant has fruited, it is cut down to the ground, because each trunk produces only one bunch of fruit. 

Now that we've discussed the botany of banana, here is a simple question for you; what is the botanical name of banana?