English (en) | Change Language

Scientific name: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana

Common names for banana: English—banana, plantain; Spanish—banano, platano, guineo, cambur

Common names for plantain: English—plantain, horse banana; Spanish—platano

Family: Musaceae

Relatives of banana within the Order Zingiberales: Numerous ornamental plants, including traveler’s palm, bird-of-paradise, heliconia, and ginger.

1. This document is HS10 (originally published as FC-10), one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1971. Revised January 1998, December 2005, October 2008, and November 2016. Reviewed December 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Jonathan H. Crane, professor and tropical fruit crops specialist, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center; and Carlos F. Balerdi, professor and multi-county tropical fruit crops Extension agent (retired), UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.