When we say banana, we usually think of the yellow fruit we can easily grab at a supermarket. Musa Ingens is not quite like that.
Also known as the giant highland banana, the Musa Ingens banana tree is a plant endemic to Papua. The species grows in a mountain range in Papua. It can also be found in Papua New Guinea.
Unique Species
This humongous banana tree only grows in the Arfak Mountains. As such, it is a quite rare species.
The Musa Ingens grows at between 1.300 to 2.000 meters in elevation. It’s often found in wet places, in ravines, or near swamps. The species has adapted to a cooler climate than the typical banana trees. The tree likes warm, sunny days and cool nights, complete with high humidity. It also thrives under the shining sun.
There have been efforts to cultivate this species outside the Arfak Mountains, but in the end, it prefers conditions most similar to its natural growing habitat.
The Largest Banana Tree
This giant banana tree can grow to over twenty-five meters in height. The base of the tree can grow over a meter in diameter; some even say it could get to two meters. Meanwhile, the leaves can reach five meters in length and one meter in width.
It means that Musa Ingens is easily six to seven times larger than the regular banana trees one might find in someone’s garden. Banana trees typically grow up to about five meters. The garden variety banana trees also usually don’t grow leaves larger than about two meters in length. Compared to the giant highland banana tree, the typical banana trees are just about as big as the leaves.
Big Tree, Big Fruit
With a tree as big as it is, it’s no surprise that the Musa Ingens fruit is also huge. The average banana weighs about 120 grams, growing in rowed clusters together. You can hold one in your hand easily.
Like the average bananas, the Musa Ingens bananas also grow in rowed clusters. Unlike them, these giant bananas can grow up to four to six centimeters in diameter. The cluster can weigh over 60 kilograms. If you can hold a regular banana in one hand, holding the Musa Ingens banana would require the use of both hands.
The giant bananas also grow green and become yellow as they ripen, just like the average bananas.
Seeded Banana
When we think of bananas, we think of elongated fruits with sweet flesh, often seedless or with soft, tiny seeds that we can chew through. Musa Ingens proves itself different on that front.
The Musa Ingens seeds grow big and hard inside the bananas. They can grow up to a centimeter in diameter, rounded and smooth. While some have described the Musa Ingens bananas as sweet and tangy, most generally don’t think the fruit is fit for human consumption because of how big the seeds are.
Instead of humans, birds are the ones who have claimed bananas as their dinner. The birds also act as a way for the trees to spread seeds and grow new trees elsewhere.
As the tree doesn’t grow in clusters, the birds have become Musa Ingens’ main way to propagate new trees. Since the birds are native to the Arfak Mountains, the banana’s habitat range is also limited to the birds’ habitat.
Although the fruit isn’t considered edible, native Papuans often use the Musa Ingens bananas as medicine to cure a variety of ailments. Aside from that, the leaves are also thick and durable, so they are perfect for arts and crafts, cushions, or even a makeshift plate.
