Plantain

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Plantain
• sweet wild banana
• banana

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, Musa balbisiana, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Zingiberales and the family Musaecae. Finally, it is situated within the genus Musa.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution spanning across both Africa and Asia. In the African continent, it can be found within the West-Central Tropical Africa region, specifically around the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Its presence in China is extensive, covering the South-Central, Southeast, and Hainan regions. Additionally, the species reaches into the high-altitude areas of Tibet. These diverse locations highlight the broad ecological range inhabited by Musa balbisiana.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Musa balbisiana is characterized by its nature as a perennial plant, ensuring its presence in the ecosystem over many growing seasons. As a species that exhibits both phanerophyte and cryptophyte life forms, it utilizes diverse survival strategies to maintain its structural integrity and reproductive potential. Specifically, its growth habit includes characteristics of a phanerophyte, with its photosynthetic organs held above the ground, while its ability to function as a cryptophyte allows it to protect essential parts during unfavorable conditions. Furthermore, the plant maintains an evergreen deciduousness, retaining its foliage throughout the year to maximize photosynthetic activity and continuous development.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

phanerophyte

Life form :

cryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Musa balbisiana is characterized by a growth form classified as a herb, presenting a non-woody structure throughout its development. This plant is a self-supporting species, neither functioning as a climber (such as a liana or vine) nor as an epiphyte, maintaining a strictly terrestrial existence. It grows as an independent organism, lacking any parasitic tendencies. In terms of stature, it reaches a mean plant height of approximately 5.5 m, contributing to its prominent presence in its natural habitat.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

5.5 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Musa balbisiana is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency under varying environmental conditions. Morphologically, the plant exhibits significant vegetative vigor, evidenced by its large foliage where the mean leaf width reaches approximately 90 cm, facilitating a high surface area for light interception and transpiration. In terms of nutrient cycling and symbiotic relationships, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the uptake of available nitrogen from the soil rather than through atmospheric nitrogen fixation via microbial symbiosis.

Leaf width mean:

90 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Musa balbisiana is characterized by the development of specific fruit morphologies that define its reproductive output. The fruit exhibits highly consistent dimensional traits, with a mean length of 13 cm that remains uniform across its minimum and maximum measurements, indicating a lack of significant variance in longitudinal growth. Similarly, the fruit width is remarkably stable, maintaining a mean, minimum, and maximum value of 4 cm. This standardized physical profile of the fruit—measuring consistently 13 cm in length and 4 cm in width—plays a critical role in the plant's reproductive cycle and the distribution of its genetic material.

Fruit length max:

13 cm

Fruit width max:

4 cm

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Musa balbisiana has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Activities

Musa balbisiana has 2 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial, Antioxidant.

Antimicrobial

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Antioxidant

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Conditions

Musa balbisiana has 2 reported investigations on conditions identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli.

Bacillus cereus

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Escherichia coli

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Musa balbisiana has 1 reported preparations identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include ethanolic extracts of leaves.

Ethanolic extracts of leaves

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)