Lady Finger banana

Lady finger banana
Lady finger banana
Hybrid parentage	Musa × acuminata
Cultivar group	AA Group
Cultivar	'Lady Finger'
Origin	Southeast Asia, Australia

Lady Finger bananas (also known as sugar bananas, fig bananas, or date bananas) are diploid cultivars of Musa acuminata. They are small, thin skinned, and sweet.

Taxonomy and nomenclature[]

The Lady Finger banana is a diploid (AA) cultivar of the seeded banana Musa acuminata.^[2] They were once placed under the Sucrier group in the old system of classification.^[3]

Its official designation is Musa (AA) 'Lady Finger'.

Synonyms 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'

They are known in English as lady finger bananas, sugar bananas, finger bananas, fig bananas, date bananas, or sucrier. The Malaysian name is pisang mas. Similarly, in Cambodia, it is referred to as chek pong moan (Khmer: ចេកពងមាន់), lit. 'chicken-egg banana', where it is considered the national fruit of Cambodia by royal decree.^[4] In Venezuela, they are known as cambures titiaros.

In Australia, the name 'lady finger banana' refers to another banana cultivar, the Pachanadan, of the sub-group (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AAB Group) cv. 'Pome'). In Hawaii and the West Indies, 'lady finger' is also used to describe the cultivar (Musa acuminata × balbisiana Colla (AB Group) cv. 'Ney Poovan').^[2]

Description[]

Lady Finger bananas can grow at a height of 7.5m (25 ft). 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.^[3] It blooms during mid-summer, late summer, and early fall. It is monocarpic and is propagated asexually.^[3]

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.^[5]

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 sigatoka and very susceptible to the Panama disease.

References[]

^ Tropical Fruit Photo Gallery: Finger Bananas, http://treesandshrubs.about.com/
^ ^a ^b Michel H. Porcher; Prof. Snow Barlow (2002-07-19). "Sorting Musa names". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Julia F. Morton (1987). "Banana Musa x paridasiaca". hort.purdue.edu/. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
^ http://www.forestry.gov.kh/Documents/ROYAL-DECREE-ENG.pdf Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine The Royal Decree states the chicken egg banana is known as Musa aromatica but this is an outdated taxonomic name still used in Cambodia. This cultivar is also known as kluai Leb Mu Nang in Thailand, which has a similar meaning, "lady finger banana." And it is known as pisang mas in Malaysia in which they can be found to be synonyms for the Lady's Finger Banana.
^ Banana, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/

[a1-1] Tropical Fruit Photo Gallery: Finger Bananas, http://treesandshrubs.about.com/

[a3-2] Michel H. Porcher; Prof. Snow Barlow (2002-07-19). "Sorting Musa names". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 12 January 2011.

[a4-3] Julia F. Morton (1987). "Banana Musa x paridasiaca". hort.purdue.edu/. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2011.

[4] ttp://www.forestry.gov.kh/Documents/ROYAL-DECREE-ENG.pdf Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine The Royal Decree states the chicken egg banana is known as Musa aromatica but this is an outdated taxonomic name still used in Cambodia. This cultivar is also known as kluai Leb Mu Nang in Thailand, which has a similar meaning, "lady finger banana." And it is known as pisang mas in Malaysia in which they can be found to be synonyms for the Lady's Finger Banana.

[a2-5] Banana, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/

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