Flowers of Bali

Balinese name: Biu
Indonesian name: Pisang
Latin name: Musa Sp.
Family: Musaceae

There are dozens of varieties of Bananas in Bali, most if which are far more flavorful than the rather bland plantation Banana we are accustomed to in the West. The Banana plant is not a tree, but rather, a giant herb. It produces fruit just once, then dies, leaving suckers at its base to start the next generation.

Description
The deep red to maroon blooms appear about seven to nine months after planting. The flower stalk emerges from the crown of the plant, carrying the last leaves with it.

Flowers
A large bud or “navel” develops at the tip of the stalk. As this pusuh biu (Banana navel) develops, one of the outer bracts rises to reveal a double row of 12 to 29 female flowers with short-lasting, yellowish-white petals. This bract eventually drops. As the inflorescence grows, another bract folds upwards, revealing another “hand” of female flowers. This continuous until there are 8 to 13 “hands”. These are followed by several “hands” of neuter flowers, and then a long sequence of pollen-producing male flowers.

Leaves
Young leaves are pale green and tightly rolled in cylindrical “buds” that unfurl int long, broad, dark green leaves.

Seeds
The female flower of most Banana will produce fruit without pollination. Normally, one finds merely brown specks inside the fruits, but the hard back seeds of the variety biu batu present a hazard to the unwary eater.

Flowering
Year-round

Benefits
Bananas have a very good nutrient content, such as energy supply is quite high compared with other fruits. Bananas are rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and calcium. Bananas also contain vitamins, namely C, B complex, B6, and serotonin is active as a neurotransmitter in the smooth functioning of the brain.