Thursday 22 March 2012

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 14

Banana 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 colours when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana or hybrids Musa acuminata × balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific names Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca are no longer used.

Bananas are native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics. They are grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fibre, banana wine and as ornamental plants. Our climate in Melbourne is sufficiently mild in winter to allow banana "trees" to survive and in summer it is not unusual to see many banana plants in gardens bearing fruit. This specimen photographed here thrives in our next door neighbours' garden and much more than the fruit, it is the flowers that fascinate me!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.









25 comments:

  1. Hi Nick,
    Today I'm very, very surprised to see banana flowers! I've never seen them. Yes, now I completely understand bananas are fruits!

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  2. I had never seen banana flowers either! How beautiful!! Your photos are terrific, Nick, as always! And I learned something new and that always makes for a good day!! Have a great day!

    Sylvia

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  3. Great photos (as usual!) :)

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  4. Just to let you know, that we use the banana blossoms as part of our dish. The plant is really very useful.

    I am not surprise that it is abundant in Australia.

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  5. Hi Nick, i worked on bananas at CSIRO, but not the whole fruit. Banana flowers are good sources of phenolics and tannins, rich in antioxidants. We love it as a vegetable in SEA. By the way, if you don't mind, banana plants are correctly called plants, they look like trees but not really trees and not called banana trees.

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  6. Interesting post about banana tree.

    Regards and best wishes

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  7. Hello Nick.
    Very nice banana palm you show - could just imagine a fresh-picked track.
    Wishing you a good day.
    Hugs Hanne Bente

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  8. A very fine specimen. I have never seen one as bountiful as this in Melbourne. Your neighbour certainly has a green thumb.

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  9. Amazing to live in a climate where you grow bananas in the garden!

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  10. I've never noticed the banana flowers before Nick ... Very unique ! In some areas of Indonesia I've been served my meal in a banana leaf ... Disposable plate and wonderful for eating rice dishes.

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  11. I never thought bananas would grow in Melbourne. Great shots Nick.

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  12. Such a bold flower.
    After eating so many bananas, I still had no idea of the shape and colour of the flowers. Do they pass some of the fruit on to you?

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  13. What gorgeous shots of the banana flower!

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  14. Amazing images Nick. As with other viewers, I've also not previously seen the banana flower, so thanks for sharing.

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  15. Gorgeous -- we saw banana trees for the first time in the Caribbean several years ago and were in awe. The local people thought we were pretty funny as we gawked at them....we were on a cruise and most of our fellow travelers were pretty much just interested in the beach = and the rum ;>)

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  16. You're right Nick the flower is extraordinary! It's a bit like some exotic alien creature. Beautifully show.

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  17. How exotic to have a banana tree growing in your backyard!

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  18. Exciting! I had some indoor banana trees before, but none ever gave any fruit.

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  19. Great post, since I love bananas, and we sure don't grow them here. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  20. Oh, if only the streets of our Melbourne were so beautiful. Thanks for visiting my blogs. I can reply to your email because it is set to noreply comment blogger.

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  21. Count me in with the others who are seeing banana flowers for the first time. Very impressive!

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  22. Hi Nick! Your photos are beautiful. Back here in the Philippines the one you call flower is called the heart. It can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. I love it with coconut milk. :)

    Orange Cluster

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  23. Sorry I made a mistake. The big red one is the heart and the flowers, we call them banana blossoms. :)

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  24. Great pictures!!
    Going bananas over bananas:)
    - Cheers.

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