UPSC Prelims 2016 Question:

Recently, our scientists have discovered a new and distinct species of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 meters and has orange-coloured fruit pulp. In which part of India has it been discovered?

Explanation:

• • Scientists at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered a new species of banana, named Musa Indandamanensis, from a remote tropical rain forest on the Andaman Islands.

• Features of Musa Indandamanensis:
  
  

• It is a distinct global species with unique green flowers and fruit bunch lux (axis) thrice the size of a regular banana species.

• The fruit pulp of the species is orange in colour, which is distinctive from the white and yellow colour of regular bananas.

• Trees of this species are about 11 meters high, whereas the regular species are about three to four meters high.

• The flowers of the species are cylindrical, whereas, the flowers of other banana species are conical.
  
  

Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.

Relevance: In 2015, Scientists at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered a new species of banana from a remote tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman islands.

Subject: Environment | Biodiversity and Conservation