Ten Extremely Rare Seeds on the Brink of Extinction
The Millennium Seed Bank has set out to collect 25 percent of the world's plant species by 2020—before it is too late
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, May 14, 2012
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
Name: Yunnan wild banana (Musa itinerans)
Status: Native to China’s Yunnan province, this wild pink banana is vulnerable, according to the IUCN’s Red List.
Threats: Deforestation is the biggest threat to the species. The mountainous forest habitat of Musa itinerans, a wild relative of the domesticated banana, is being razed for commercial agriculture.
Impact: Asian elephants are losing a staple food source—and we may be too . As far as bananas go, we have put most of our energies into cultivating one variety for consumption, the Cavendish. Yet a fungus has run rampant in that species. Since t he Yunnan wild banana is a close relative to the bananas and plantains we consume, and it has proven to resist common banana diseases, it could be useful in breeding new varieties.
Interesting Side Note: Musa itinerans was the 24,200th species to be stored, a milestone for the seed bank . When the seeds were collected in 2009, it meant that the bank had met its initial goal of conserving 10 percent of the world’s species by 2010.
Learn more about Yunnan wild bananas at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Comments (3)
Mulanje cedar is really going. I concieve a plan to conduct a research at Chambe Basin but I don't have enough resources. Anyone who may wish to offer support should contact me. I'm currently studying forestry at Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife. The research is part of the fulfillment for the award of the diploma. please help me.
Posted by Frank Fred on May 4,2013 | 05:14 PM
we have some in the woods but we are not allowed to touch them
Posted by corbin geyer on September 7,2012 | 12:08 AM
It is endemic to the Mulanje Massif of Malawi, but yet it is a pioneer species. It can be used for reforesting high elevation forests throughout southern Africa. One of the most endangered forest types in Africa are montane forest. This could be the pioneer species, that can help in assisting in reforestation techniques.
Posted by Tim Upham on August 30,2012 | 04:53 PM