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Banana Seeds
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Published: November 15, 2006
Banana seeds are mostly found in wild banana tree plants found on every continent. But according to www.crfg.org, occasionally cross-pollination with wild types will result in a number of seeds in a normally seedless variety. Most cultivated banana trees are not grown from banana seeds, but from rhizomes or underground stems off the mother plant.
After producing fruit, a mother plant will never bear fruit again, so the rhizome can be transplanted for more fruit. This is because bananas are parthenocarpic, or produce sterile fruit. The brown specks that can be seen in bananas bought at a local supermarket are remnants of what used to be the bananas seeds.
Wild bananas contain many large and hard seeds making them difficult to eat. Bananas America has come to know are actually the product of a spontaneous mutation in a kind of banana native to South East Asia. These bananas, which grew extremely well in the Caribbean climate, were named the Gros Michel and were a little larger than the bananas found in today's grocery stores. Where did all the Gros Michels go? These particular bananas were susceptible to Panama Disease and eventually died off around the 1960's. Soon a replacement was found called the Cavendish Banana, found in Saigon. Although it is somewhat smaller, the Cavendish tastes just as good as the Gros Michel. Both of these bananas are natural triploids with three sets of chromosomes instead of two. This makes it impossible for banana seeds to exist in these species.
If a wild banana tree is desired for ornamental appeal, it is necessary to germinate the banana seed like any other plant. Seedlings can be very hard to care for and must be looked after daily. Ready to Grow offers a numerous amount of wild banana seeds on their website, www.readytogrow.co.uk. For around two dollars, Ready to Grow will ship between 10-15 seeds of different varieties, including Ensete Ventricosum, Musa Acuminata, Musa Cheesmani, Musa Omata, Musa Sikkimesis, Musa Velutina and others as well.
If you happen to get a few banana seeds while enjoying one of these fruits, remember you have received a rare instance. For more information about banana plants and why most do not contain seeds, visit the above mentioned website at www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html.
Alaska Science Forum. 09 May 1990. 09 November 2006. www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF9/977.html.
Banana. 1997. 09 November 2006. www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html.
Department of Energy. 2006. 09 November 2006.
www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99783.ht m.
Ready to Grow. 2006. 09 November 2006. www.readytogrow.co.uk/seeds/quickbuy.html.
Wild bananas contain many large and hard seeds making them difficult to eat. Bananas America has come to know are actually the product of a spontaneous mutation in a kind of banana native to South East Asia. These bananas, which grew extremely well in the Caribbean climate, were named the Gros Michel and were a little larger than the bananas found in today's grocery stores. Where did all the Gros Michels go? These particular bananas were susceptible to Panama Disease and eventually died off around the 1960's. Soon a replacement was found called the Cavendish Banana, found in Saigon. Although it is somewhat smaller, the Cavendish tastes just as good as the Gros Michel. Both of these bananas are natural triploids with three sets of chromosomes instead of two. This makes it impossible for banana seeds to exist in these species.
If a wild banana tree is desired for ornamental appeal, it is necessary to germinate the banana seed like any other plant. Seedlings can be very hard to care for and must be looked after daily. Ready to Grow offers a numerous amount of wild banana seeds on their website, www.readytogrow.co.uk. For around two dollars, Ready to Grow will ship between 10-15 seeds of different varieties, including Ensete Ventricosum, Musa Acuminata, Musa Cheesmani, Musa Omata, Musa Sikkimesis, Musa Velutina and others as well.
If you happen to get a few banana seeds while enjoying one of these fruits, remember you have received a rare instance. For more information about banana plants and why most do not contain seeds, visit the above mentioned website at www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html.
Alaska Science Forum. 09 May 1990. 09 November 2006. www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF9/977.html.
Banana. 1997. 09 November 2006. www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html.
Department of Energy. 2006. 09 November 2006.
www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99783.ht m.
Ready to Grow. 2006. 09 November 2006. www.readytogrow.co.uk/seeds/quickbuy.html.
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