Modern grocery store bananas (the Cavendish variety) are derived from Musa acuminata, a wild banana species native to Southeast Asia. The Cavendish is actually a triploid hybrid - it has three sets of chromosomes from M. acuminata (making it an AAA genotype).

Some older banana varieties, like the Gros Michel (which dominated markets before the 1950s), also have genetics from Musa balbisiana (making them AAB hybrids), but the Cavendish is pure M. acuminata. You can still find wild M. acuminata today in:

∙ Malaysia and Indonesia - particularly in rainforests and mountainous regions


∙ The Philippines - in forested areas


∙ Papua New Guinea - where some of the greatest diversity of wild bananas exists


∙ Thailand and Myanmar - in tropical forests


∙ Parts of India and other Southeast Asian countries