Gros Michel
Encyclopedia
Gros Michel, often known as Big Mike, is an export cultivar
of banana
, and was until the 1950s the main variety exported to the United States
.
of the wild banana Musa acuminata
, belonging to the AAA group.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Gros Michel'.
Synonyms
include:
Gros Michel is known as Guineo Giganet, Banano, and Platano Roatan in Spanish
. It is also known as Pisang Ambon in Malaysia, Pisang Embung in Indonesia
, Thihmwe in Burma, and Kluai hom thong in Thailand
.
" is said to have been inspired by a shortage of the "Big Mike" bananas, which began with the infestation of Panama disease
early in the 20th century.
By 1960, the major importers of Gros Michel bananas were nearly bankrupt, and had waited until the last minute to deal with the financial and environmental crisis. The Cavendish
had to be cultivated so consumers would still be able to obtain bananas.
The Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research
cultivates several varieties of the Gros Michel. They have succeeded in producing a few seeds by hand-pollinating the flowers with pollen from diploid, seeded bananas.
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of banana
Banana
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 colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, and was until the 1950s the main variety exported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Taxonomy
Gros Michel is a triploid cultivarCultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
of the wild banana Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...
, belonging to the AAA group.
Its official designation is Musa acuminata Colla (AAA Group) cv. 'Gros Michel'.
Synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
include:
- Musa acuminata L. cv. 'Gros Michel'
- Musa × paradisiaca L. cv. 'Gros Michel'
Gros Michel is known as Guineo Giganet, Banano, and Platano Roatan in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. It is also known as Pisang Ambon in Malaysia, Pisang Embung in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Thihmwe in Burma, and Kluai hom thong in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Description
The 1923 musical hit "Yes, We Have No BananasYes, We Have No Bananas
"Yes! We Have No Bananas" is the title of a novelty song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn from the 1922 Broadway revue Make It Snappy. Sung by Eddie Cantor in the revue, the song became a major hit in 1923 when it was recorded by Billy Jones, Arthur Hall, Irving Kaufman, and others...
" is said to have been inspired by a shortage of the "Big Mike" bananas, which began with the infestation of Panama disease
Panama disease
Panama disease, a Fusarium wilt, is a banana plant disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The fungus attacks the roots of the banana plant. The disease is resistant to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.-History:...
early in the 20th century.
By 1960, the major importers of Gros Michel bananas were nearly bankrupt, and had waited until the last minute to deal with the financial and environmental crisis. The Cavendish
Cavendish banana
The Dwarf Cavendish banana is a banana cultivar originally from Vietnam and China. It became the primary replacement for the Gros Michel banana in the 1950s after crops of the latter were devastated by the Panama disease. The name 'Dwarf Cavendish' is in reference to the height of the pseudostem,...
had to be cultivated so consumers would still be able to obtain bananas.
The Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research
Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research
Honduras Foundation for Agricultural Research , , is a not-for-profit research facility in San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras which seeks to develop new disease-resistant breeds of banana and plantain, as well as...
cultivates several varieties of the Gros Michel. They have succeeded in producing a few seeds by hand-pollinating the flowers with pollen from diploid, seeded bananas.
See Also
- BananaBananaBanana 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 colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
- Banana cultivar groupsBanana cultivar groupsAlmost all modern edible banana and plantain cultivars are hybrids and polyploids of the wild, seeded bananas Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. They are almost always seedless and hence sterile, so they are propagated vegetatively...
- Cavendish bananaCavendish bananaThe Dwarf Cavendish banana is a banana cultivar originally from Vietnam and China. It became the primary replacement for the Gros Michel banana in the 1950s after crops of the latter were devastated by the Panama disease. The name 'Dwarf Cavendish' is in reference to the height of the pseudostem,...
- Grand Nain (Chiquita banana)
- Musa acuminataMusa acuminataMusa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...