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Name: David B.
Status: student
Age: 30s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 8/1/2004
Question:
I am a college student working on a degree in elementary education. Do you know where I can find a key to identify banana plants. I have searched the web for a dichotomous key to bananas but get sites that do not appear to have anything to do with bananas. Any information on keying out bananas as well as any information that will help to identify edible versus inedible bananas would be greatly appreciated.

Replies:
Not the easiest group of plants for keying out in elementary education, unless you keep it simple to just compare different edible varieties, large vs. small, etc. Possibly helpful, although no particular taxonomic key:

http://www.inibap.org/sites/bota_eng.htm

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/mus.htm

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/mparadisiaca.htm

http://ejournal.sinica.edu.tw/bbas/content/2002/1/bot431-09.html

Possibly helpful for introducing taxonomic keys at early grade levels:

http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g52b_tax.html

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/lab/TaxonomyLab.html

Anthony Brach, Ph.D


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