At a Glance
Four facts to hold on to.
Where
Little Andaman Island.
Name
Musa indandamanensis.
Height
About 11 metres.
Fruit pulp
Orange.
In this lesson
India’s Tallest Wild Banana
Found in the Andamans
- Scientists of the Botanical Survey of India found this species.
- It grows deep in the rainforest of Little Andaman Island.
- It was named Musa indandamanensis, after its Andaman origin.
- Source: Botanical Survey of India.
Unusual height and colour
- It reaches about 11 metres.
- That is nearly three times a common banana plant.
- Its pulp is orange, not white or yellow.
- It was not found in the Anaimalai Forests, the Maikala Hills or Northeast India.
True or False: The newly discovered banana species Musa indandamanensis was found in the Anaimalai Forests of the Western Ghats.
What Makes the Find Distinct
Flowers, and a deep forest find
- The flowers are green and cylindrical.
- Most banana species have conical flowers.
- The plant grew about 16 kilometres inside the Krishna Nalah forest.
- That site is remote and hard to reach.
An oversized fruit bunch
- The fruit bunch axis is about three times larger than in regular banana species.
- This is another sign of its unusual scale.
True or False: Musa indandamanensis has the typical conical flower shape seen in most banana species.
Previous Year Questions
UPSC 2016 asked where the banana was found.
- UPSC 2016An 11-metre-tall banana plant with orange fruit pulp was discovered in the Andaman Islands. View the question.
True or False: UPSC’s 2016 question confirmed the 11-metre-tall banana with orange pulp was discovered in Northeast India’s rain forests.
Why Remote Islands Keep Yielding New Species
Isolation drives novelty
- The Andaman Islands are cut off from the mainland by sea.
- Plant lineages there evolved apart from their mainland relatives.
- So the islands keep giving species found nowhere else.
A conservation priority
- A species with a narrow range is usually flagged for conservation.
- One threat can remove the whole population.
- Read more on forests at Forest Cover in India.
Exam traps
- The banana is from the Andamans, not Anaimalai or the Northeast.
- Flowers are cylindrical, not conical.
- A narrow range means higher conservation concern, not lower.
Think it through: why does an island like Little Andaman produce species found nowhere else?
Ocean separates island plants from mainland relatives, so they stop interbreeding. Each group gathers its own genetic changes. Local soil, plants and pollinators also shape each one differently. After long enough, the groups become separate species. That explains the tall height, orange pulp and cylindrical flowers. The same isolation makes them fragile, because one habitat loss can wipe them out.
True or False: The Andaman Islands’ geographic isolation has let distinct plant lineages evolve separately from mainland relatives.
True or False: A newly discovered species confined to one small area is generally considered low-priority for conservation, since it has not spread widely yet.
Quick Q&A
Where was it found?
Little Andaman Island.
Scientific name?
Musa indandamanensis.
How tall?
About 11 metres.
Pulp colour?
Orange.
Flower shape?
Green and cylindrical.
🎲 Practice: New Banana Species of the Andamans
5 verified questions from this topic.
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