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Ornamental Banana (Musa ornata): Seed and seedless fruits

on 16th August 2017
Longisection of Musa ornata fruit without pollination.
Longisection of Musa ornata fruit without pollination. Scale in mm.

Banana plants are parthenocarpic, meaning that fruits are produced without pollination. As there is no fertilisation of the ovules, the fruits are seedless (above). Parthenocarpy (literally meaning virgin fruit) is the plant equivalent of parthenogenesis in animals (development of the embryo without the egg being fertilised, sometimes termed virgin birth).

Isolated stamens from male flowers with a Stingless bee collecting pollen.
Isolated stamens from male flowers with a Stingless bee collecting pollen.

In an earlier post, it was stated that Stingless Bees (Trigona sp.) may be the pollinating agent (above). However, as no seeds form in the fruits they visit (top), it is obvious that they are not effective pollinating agents . Furthermore, bagging the inflorescence to keep off these bees similarly result in fruits without seeds (below).

Musa ornata inflorescence bagged to keep  pollinating agents out.agents from
Musa ornata inflorescence bagged to keep out pollinating agents.

The Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) regularly visits the flowers for the nectar. Because their bill is a little too short to access the nectar if it is to probe from the top of the flowers, they resort to stealing nectar by probing the flowers around the base (below). As the bill does not make contact with the pollen, there is no pollination of subsequent flowers the sunbird visits.

Male Olive-backed Sunbird at ...
Male Olive-backed Sunbird at male flowers – note scar of earlier probe at the base of the flower on the right.

Artificial pollination by transferring pollen to the stigmatic surfaces of female flowers resulted in fruits bigger than the normal unpollinated ones (below).

Artificially pollinated fruits right and unpollinated fruits left.
Artificially pollinated fruits right and unpollinated fruits left.

The artificially pollinated flowers produce fruits packed with large, black seeds (below).

Fruit packed with seeds when flower was artificially pollinated.
Fruit packed with seeds when flower was artificially pollinated. Scale in mm.

YC Wee
Singapore
4th August 2017

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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