The plant species Musa ingens, also known as the giant highland banana or Oem,[2] is the physically largest member of the family Musaceae and the only member of the section Ingentimusa. Growing in the tropical montane forests of New Guinea - Arfak Mountains Regency in Indonesia, its leaves can reach a length of 5 meters (16 feet) and a width of 1 m (39 in).[3] This, the largest herbaceous plant on earth, was completely unknown to science prior to 1960.[2]
| Musa ingens | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Musaceae |
| Genus: | Musa |
| Species: | M. ingens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Musa ingens | |
Description
editThe "trunk" (actually the tightly rolled petioles (or stalks) of its leaves; the longest petioles of any known plant) is typically up to 15 m (49 ft) in height, and with the leaves having a total height of 20 m (66 ft). Since its discovery in 1954, though, taller individuals up to 30 m (98 ft) have been reported,[4] but these measurements have yet to be confirmed by a specific scientific study. Photos exist of M. ingens "trunks" up to 94 cm (37 in) in diameter at breast height. Its fruit grows in a cluster weighing up to 60 kg (132 lb). This cluster is borne on a peduncle up to 10 cm (4 in) thick and up to 15 m (49 ft) in length, again the longest of any known plant. The large inflorescence can hold over 300 oblong fruits to 18 cm long that are filled with blackish-brown seeds and yellowish pulp that is edible, sweet, and delicious when cooked, and according to some, reminiscent of fine butternut squash mixed with a sweet banana with a dash of tangy lime and citrus added.[5]
References
edit- ^ Plummer, J.; Kallow, S. & Janssens, S. (2020). "Musa ingens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T158541237A201905546. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b N.W. Simmonds, "Notes on Banana Taxonomy" KEW BULLETIN Vol. 14 # 2 (1960) p. 198. doi:10.2307/4114778
- ^ Notes from Royal Bot. Garden Edinburgh Vol. 35 # 1 (1976) pp. 111-112
- ^ "Musa Ingens - Bananas Wiki".
- ^ "Musa ingens – Giant Highland Banana – Buy seeds at rarepalmseeds.com". Archived from the original on 2021-03-09.
External links
edit
Data related to Musa ingens at Wikispecies- http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/musa_ingens.htm
- "Musa Ingens - The Tallest Banana Plant in the World"
