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Is there a natural method for the widespread dispersal of banana plants?

Question #97490. Asked by unclerick.
Last updated Jun 25 2021.

MacSpruce
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
MacSpruce
17 year member
21 replies

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Mostly it is done by fruit bats:

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_bats
link http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Animals/Mammals/Fruit-Bats.aspx
link http://www.seedman.com/banana.htm

Cultivated bananas have been developed not to grow from seeds(changing from diploid rather than triploid), but wild bananas do (it's the little brown bit at the tip of the fruit) hence the use of fruit bats for distribution.


Response last updated by gtho4 on Jun 25 2021.
Jul 12 2008, 11:35 PM
queproblema
Answer has 4 votes
queproblema
18 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 4 votes.
Bananas reproduce by suckers, not from seed. They cannot disperse themselves, so the "natural method" of dispersal would be by humans taking them from one place and planting them in another. Bananas do spread a bit from their base, but without proper attention in keeping weeds and jungle down and hacking out old "trunks" they get swallowed up or degenerate. Recent guests of ours from Malaysia insisted the plaintain variety grows wild and uncultivated there. Perhaps this is true, but we doubt it; these were city folk.

Source: farming in the Amazon basin for twelve years.
link https://docu.tips/documents/chemicals-needed-for-experiments-5c135e1724c12


Response last updated by gtho4 on Jun 25 2021.
Jul 13 2008, 10:31 AM
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