A wild banana, found only on Madagascar, may hold the key to protecting the world's edible banana crop., However, the plant has just been put on the extinction list; on the island of Madagascar, there are just five mature trees left in the wild. Scientists say the plant needs to be conserved, as it may hold the secret to keeping bananas safe for the future.
Richard Allen, senior conservation assessor at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, said the species (Ensete perrieri) might have in-built tolerance to drought or disease. "It doesn't have Panama disease in it, so perhaps it has genetic traits against the disease. We don't know until we actually do research on the banana itself, but we can't do the research until it's saved."
