Located in the tropical Hainan, with its special geographical location and unique "light, temperature and water" resources, it has nurtured a variety of plant species, and bananas are one of the typical representatives.

text\Hainan Daily reporter Yan Lanqing

The four seasons rotate, the summer goes to and from cold to plants, and the perception of light and heat is inherently keen. Located in the tropical Hainan, with its special geographical location and unique "light, temperature and water" resources, it has nurtured a variety of plant species, and bananas are one of the typical representatives. In early spring, we walk through the green fields of banana forest and experience the various "banana" postures of Hainan Island up close.

"Dangjia Huadan" Xiangyao

Banana planting has a long history in my country. The ancient banana and banana banana described the same type of banana genus plants. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that people gradually called bananas, that is, the edible bananas that we are familiar with with economic value.

In the Chinese cultural tradition of "Fruit Plum Bread", bananas seem to be on a marginal position, but perhaps because of their appearance and deliciousness, no matter how the times change, the "banana" with millions of fans can easily "become a circle".

According to the writings of 3 people in the Song Dynasty, budding bananas are one of the fruits that can be appreciated and tasted during the heat. In the Song Dynasty, Fan Chengda recorded in "Guihai Yuhengzhi": "The bud banana is as small as a chicken banana, which is particularly tender and sweet, and is full in autumn." Southern Song Dynasty Geographicist Zhou Qufei also said: "The bud banana is as small as a chicken banana, which is particularly tender and sweet. Southerners cherish it, but it is not the same as other banana, but it is a solid in autumn." "Fragrant and tender and sweet" is Fan Cheng and Zhou Qufei's common memory of "breeding banana".

In Su Dongpo 's writing, Bajiao is also a delicious job. Su Dongpo once wrote a book to a local chief in Guangxi: "I have received several vegetarian bananas, and I have never known them. Fortunately, I have tasted them all, and I feel ashamed and thanked them in a hurry." Between the lines, in addition to the joy of this great writer after tasting the perfect vegetarian banana, I can also feel his cherishment of the gifted gift. In the , the important official of the Qing Dynasty, Zhangqu, , his love for bananas was even more straightforward. According to the "Records of Wenshe in the East of Guangdong", "I think the fragrant bananas are beautiful. cow milk bananas are times. Drumstick bananas are the worst"!

In Hainan, which variety has the largest number of bananas? The answer is banana, also known as " Huabanana ", which is the most common banana cultivation variety. At present, the proportion of fragrant sprouted bananas in our province is 80%, and the proportion of specialty sprouted bananas is 20% (the specialty sprouted bananas are mainly pink bananas, bananas, , bananas, etc.).

The Buddha-hand banana in the "Window of the World's Tropical Fruits" in Huzai Village, Dalu Town, Qionghai City. Photo provided by the interviewee

In Haikou, Chengmai , Linggao , Danzhou , the main varieties of fragrant bud bananas include Brazilian bananas , Baodao bananas, Nantianhuang, etc., while the special bananas are mainly Emperor bananas and pink bananas. From May to August every year, thanks to the unique heat and light conditions in these areas, the land is flat and fertile, and the water source is sufficient, the yield level of "banana" here is relatively high.

Although the advantage of time and place is good, the competition among the major varieties of banana is still fierce. Handle 3, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and chief scientist of the National Banana Industry Technology System, said that in recent years, with the unremitting efforts of scientific researchers, the "Banana 'China Reef No. 1'" of the Xiangyaban family officially debuted on June 18, 2021. At present, in Datian, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, the highest yield per mu of "Banana 'China Reap No. 1'" can reach 4,100 kg, and its ability to resist banana blight is significantly higher than that of Brazilian bananas, and it has the characteristics of high resistance to banana blight. At present, my country has grown a batch of main plant varieties and disease-resistant varieties, and has established an germplasm resource conservation library. At present, more than 600 banana germplasm resources in my country are preserved, ranking third in the world.

"Qianzi Qianqian" Thousand Layer Banana

Plants that can produce 1,000 bananas at a time. Have you seen them? In the "Window of the World's Tropical Fruits" in Huzai Village, Dalu Town, Qionghai City, there is a plant called Thousand Layers Banana, also known as Elephant Nose Banana or Thousand Finger Banana. It is native to Southeast Asia, with a plant height of 3 to 4 meters, ranging from young to adult. This plant is no different from the ordinary banana tree . When it blooms and bears fruit, its scene is very spectacular.

Thousand-layer banana unveiled at the 2021 China (Hainan) International Tropical Agricultural Products Winter Fair.Wei Maojin

When the thousand-layer banana blooms, people can see many spike-like flowers, layer by layer. What is particularly interesting is that when the thousand-layer banana blooms, the inflorescence axis will extend downward, and the pollinated flowers will gradually develop into fruits. Therefore, usually the fruits in the upper part are ripe, and the inflorescence axis is still growing downward, almost close to the ground.

The fruits of the thousand-layer banana grow densely and are huge in number. Generally, a fruit bunch can reach more than 70 layers, and each layer has more than 10 fruits, and the total amount can exceed 1,000. Overall, the fruits are thick on the top and thin on the bottom, 2 to 3 meters long, and naturally hang from the forks. In particular, the fruits are arranged closely, forming rough strip-like marks. From a distance, it looks like an elephant's nose hanging on a tree, while the fruits are like rings on the elephant's nose, so they are called "elephant banana". In countries such as Malaysia, this plant is also known as the "Banana King".

Can a thousand-layer banana be eaten? Zhao Dezhen, sales manager of Hainan Shanda Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., told Hainan Daily reporter that the fruits of the thousand-layer banana can be eaten after they mature and turn yellow, but because their fruits are smaller than ordinary bananas, their flesh is very small, and some even taste sour and astringent, their edible value is not high, and they are mainly used for ornamental purposes. Occasionally, ripe fruits can be seen enjoyed by birds or squirrels.

"Pretty Boy" Little Prince Banana

In the "Window of Tropical Fruits in the World", there is also a plant called "Little Prince Banana". This is a genus 2 banana family 3 banana family with a maximum height of between 60 and 80 cm, native to the United States. Because of its smallness, it is perfect for indoor plants and tropical bonsai in gardens or containers. The fruits of this banana species are tempting and can be eaten after ripening.

Document records that "banana" is a garden ornamental plant no later than in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty . The "Bazhu" recorded in the Western Han Dynasty writer Sima Xiangru " Zixu Fu ", which is the earliest record of "banana leaves" in ancient documents. After of the Tang Dynasty, banana leaves became the most common ornamental plant in the garden. There have been a large number of poems and essays chanting the beauty of banana leaves in all dynasties. Especially the veins of banana leaves are exquisite and clear, and the leaves are tender and green and cute. They are planted in front of the garden window to protect the sun and cool down, which is deeply loved by poets. Li Shangyin has the sentence "The green fan of the banana leaves", and Yang Wanli also repeatedly praised in the poem: "The green bananas shake their fan" and "There are countless green silk fans around, and they will cool down when the wind does not come." The summer is hot and the heat is unbearable. Even without the wind, the vast leaves of the banana leaves will give people a cool feeling.

The era is developing, and the stories about "banana" entering the house are constantly evolving. At present, using banana standard demonstration parks and ornamental landscape parks as carriers, we will develop banana cultural tourism routes and build an industrial integration model of "planting + logistics + Internet", "planting + processing + sales" and "planting + tourism". New business formats integrating banana planting, processing, trade, tourism and culture are becoming a new development trend. Guo Qingjun, president of Chengmai Banana Association, introduced that a "Chengmai Characteristic Banana Smart Industrial Park" project covering an area of ​​700,000 mu has been registered on October 19, 2021, and this heavyweight industry is about to emerge.

"Food to Fill the Belly" Edible Banana

In the "World's Tropical Fruit Window", a "banana" that looks like rhino horns, with a curved and slender appearance and a large size. A banana weighs 2 to 3 kilograms. This "banana" has a domineering name - rhino horn banana, which is a staple food. Because it has a high starch content, it is particularly hungry after eating it. Therefore, it is also used as a staple food in many parts of Africa.

Recently, machines roared in Hainan's characteristic tropical fruit industrial park in Dongshan Town, Haikou City. Liang Chengdong, head of the Hainan's characteristic tropical fruit industrial park base, told Hainan Daily reporters that workers are cleaning up the staple food bananas that are about to "mov" into the park. In the future, the staple food bananas will become one of the park's new and unique tropical fruit industries. Liang Chengdong said that in the past, in most people's eyes, bananas were a fruit, but in some countries, bananas were still the staple food for three meals a day, with various cooking methods such as steaming, frying, roasting, and cooking. They are not only delicious but also nutritious.

Bananas have changed from fruit to staple food, and their function changes just reflect that people's understanding of bananas is also keeping pace with the times. The records of "bananas" in the "Huanghua Jiwen" in the early Qing Dynasty were the beginning of people's understanding and importance of edible bananas. In fact, people from all generations have had a lot of excavation and utilization of ancient Lingnan bananas. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that banana leaves have high medicinal value, and its roots, leaves, fruits and banana juice all have different medicinal value. As for the consumption of banana leaves, the "Qunfangpu" records its root "all meat flavor". "Guihai Yuhengzhi" records that banana pulp can be used to feed children.

Not only that, banana cloth made of banana fiber in ancient times was widely present in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, and was tributed as a tribute. But in modern times, with the development of cotton and linen fabrics and the impact of foreign cloth, banana cloth has almost disappeared in the market.

It is worth mentioning that in history, ancient people used banana leaves to write or practice calligraphy, but because banana leaves are difficult to preserve, they will become dry and crisp after being stored for a long time. So far, no remains of the words on the banana leaves are found. However, in ancient documents, written records of using banana leaves instead of paper are found. For example, Northern Song Dynasty Tao Yu wrote " Qingyilu ": " Huaisu lives in the eastern suburbs of Lingling Temple. It manages banana leaves. It has tens of thousands of them. It takes leaves instead of paper and writes. It calls it "Lutian'an" and "Sow Paper". Later, the governor of Daozhou followed it to write "Lutianming". "In this way, the functions of banana trees in ancient Lingnan were not only medicinal, food, textile, fertilizer, but also writing paper.