RusticBohemian

Hey guys.

I'm in Thailand, the land of many, many banana varieties.

I'm having a hard time getting an exact identification on my two favorite bananas, which look very similar but have some distinctive traits.

Identifying them for sure is tricky because different regions have different names for each. What is called nam wa in Chiang Mai may have a different name in the far south.

In the shot below, the one most people call Nam Wa is on the right. Hands down, this is the most common banana type in the central/north Thailand area, and also the cheapest and most delicious (in my opinion).

However, to the left is another type that is often called Nam Wa, but sometimes something else.

As you can see, it is a bit larger, gets a redish/brown tinge to it when ripening, and tastes a bit different (although similar).

Anyone care to identify these two for sure? Are they closely related?



Thanks.

-Andrew

RusticBohemian

Also, is it Nam Wa or Nam Wah?

What's the scientific name?

Gabe15

There are many different types of Namwah and they are all closely related. Sometimes there is another name attached to distinguish different forms, such as 'Namwah Khom'. In edible banana taxonomy, there are no classic scientific names. Instead, cultivars are classified into genome groups (of which the two you have in question is the ABB subgroup called Pisang Awak) and the local name is retained. Often, large lists of synonyms have to be generated to make sense of the names, but often the same name is used for different plants, and of course different names are used for the same plant, so it can get quite confusing.

So there is no "real" 'Namwah' per se, if people are calling both of those varieties 'Namwah', then they are both known as 'Namwah' and that is legitimate. It is also hard to tell some of the differences between plants just by looking at the fruit. You get a bunch of different Namwah-type plants that all produce an identical fruit, even though the plants could vary quite a lot in other traits. So even the variety you see which is always called 'Namwah' may be a few different cultivars in actuality, but the fruit by itself cannot be distinguished.

As for 'Nam wa' vs. 'Nam Wah' vs. 'Namwah', it doesn't matter too much since they are all transliterations anyways, and all are commonly used.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

Olafhenny

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RusticBohemian

Thanks for the great answer, Gabe.

[ThanQUOTE=Gabe15;172257]There are many different types of Namwah and they are all closely related. Sometimes there is another name attached to distinguish different forms, such as 'Namwah Khom'. In edible banana taxonomy, there are no classic scientific names. Instead, cultivars are classified into genome groups (of which the two you have in question is the ABB subgroup called Pisang Awak) and the local name is retained. Often, large lists of synonyms have to be generated to make sense of the names, but often the same name is used for different plants, and of course different names are used for the same plant, so it can get quite confusing.

So there is no "real" 'Namwah' per se, if people are calling both of those varieties 'Namwah', then they are both known as 'Namwah' and that is legitimate. It is also hard to tell some of the differences between plants just by looking at the fruit. You get a bunch of different Namwah-type plants that all produce an identical fruit, even though the plants could vary quite a lot in other traits. So even the variety you see which is always called 'Namwah' may be a few different cultivars in actuality, but the fruit by itself cannot be distinguished.

As for 'Nam wa' vs. 'Nam Wah' vs. 'Namwah', it doesn't matter too much since they are all transliterations anyways, and all are commonly used.[/quote]

RusticBohemian

Hi. Yep, I found this place a few months ago. Not too many places geeky enough to satisfy the fruit/growing interests I have, so it's a natural fit.