Musa acuminata

Scientific name: Musa acuminata

Common name(s): Banana

Name as shown in Phylogenes: Banana

Ploidy: Diploid (2x)

Description:

Musa acuminata, also known as banana, is a giant perennial monocot herb native to Southeast Asia. It is a member of the Zingiberales, that includes a variety of other banana types and ornamental plants, and a sister clade to the Poales, the cereal group. Bananas, starchy and sweet, are an important food source in many tropical and subtropical countries where they are essential for food security.

The understanding of its divergence led the discovery of the conserved non-coding sequence bridging a large gap in genome evolution studies. Banana cultivars are usually triploid and a mix of M. acuminata (A genome) and Musa balbisiana (B genome). Agronomic importance banana offers is fruity quality and pest resistance.

Reference(s): 

1. D'Hont A, Denoeud F, et al. The banana (Musa acuminata) genome and the evolution  of monocotyledonous plants. Nature. 2012 Aug 9;488(7410):213-7. doi: 10.1038/nature11241.

Genome Database(s):