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giant cavendish banana

Musa acuminata Colla

Family: Musaceae · Genus: Musa

grand naine banana

Placenta II High Mulch biomass 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Ong Jyh Seng · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Cavendish AAA tall cultivar (3–4 m); the dominant Brazilian export variety. Heavier bunch than Nanica (30–40 kg).

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Musa AAA 'Grand Naine', Musa AAA 'Giant Cavendish'

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta II
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
High
Strata
High, Medium
Biomass class
Mulch biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
High
Drought tolerance
Low
Waterlogging tolerance
None
Soil pH range
5.5–7
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
9–13
Frost tolerance
0.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
3–4 m
Recommended spacing
2–3 m
Root system
Fibrous
Root depth
Shallow
Growth rate
Very fast
Lifespan
1–3 years
Time to first harvest
12 months
Productive lifespan
3 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Giant cavendish banana takes the High stratum in the Placenta II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High · ≈4 m Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Spacing 2.5×2.5 m to 3×2 m. Full sun, fertile moist soil. Responds well to irrigation.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Cut the pseudostem after the bunch is harvested — biomass returns to the soil as mulch. Keep 1–2 followers per mat (sucker thinning) to stagger production.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Fruiting months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of giant cavendish banana?

The first harvest of giant cavendish banana comes around 12 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for giant cavendish banana?

The recommended spacing for giant cavendish banana is 2–3 m.

How tall does giant cavendish banana grow?

At maturity, giant cavendish banana reaches 3–4 m tall.

When does giant cavendish banana fruit?

Fruiting of giant cavendish banana occurs in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

When does giant cavendish banana flower?

Flowering of giant cavendish banana occurs in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

What stage and stratum does giant cavendish banana occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, giant cavendish banana belongs to the placenta ii stage, occupying the high stratum.

Functions

🌿 Biomass producer 🪴 Nurse plant 🍎 Fruit

Propagation

Division, Runners / suckers, Tissue culture

Citations

  1. Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura — Cultivares de banana (height_min_m, time_to_first_harvest_months)
  2. POWO — Musa acuminata Colla (scientific_author, family, genus, external_ids)
  3. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Musa acuminata Colla (2762680) (external_ids)
  4. ITFNet — Banana Agronomy (ph_min, ph_max, waterlogging_tolerance, root_system, root_depth, pruning_notes)
  5. Joshi et al. (2023) — A review on adaptation of banana (Musa spp.) to cold in subtropics, Plant Breeding (frost_tolerance_c)

External references

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