Species and cultivars
- The family musaceae has two genera viz., Ensete and Musa with about 50 species.
- The genus Musa is divided into following sections:-
a) Eumusa (2n=22)
b) Callimusa: (2n=10)
c) Australimusa (2n=20)
d) Rhodochlamys (2n=22)
e) Incertae sedis- (x=7; 2n=14)
Varieties
a) Local: Dhurse, Fusre, Nangre, Mungre, Malunge/Malbhog.
b) Diploid: Lady’s finger
c) Triploid: Cavendish, Amritsagar
d) Tetraploid: Bodley Altafort
e) Exotic/Improved dwarf type: Dwarf Cavendish/Barsai Dwarf (AAA), Robusta/Harichhal (AAA), Chinia Champa/Poovan(AAB), William Hybrid (AAA).
f) Desert bananas: Malbhog, Harichhal, Robusta, Poovan, Basrai dwarf, Gros Michel etc.
g) culinary or cooking bananas:
i) Varieties suitable for vegetables- Monthan, Charinagre and Dhurse
ii) Varieties for making chips- Nendran
iii) Varieties for making powder- eg. Kunnan
h) Popular varieties in Nepal- Malbhog, William hybrid, Basrai dwarf, Harichhal, Chinia Champa, Robusta, Chari nagre and Dhurse