ABSTRACT
The landscape along the southern coast of Iceland pays homage to its volcanic origin, the relentless struggle that plant life experiences at the high latitudes and importantly, the shaping hand of its inhabitants in configuring the present ecology. The greenhouses of Hveragerdi, Iceland were probably the largest European producer of bananas during the post-war period from 1945 to 1955. The banana and plantain proved well suited to the tropical climate and soils of Hispaniola. By the end of the sixteenth century, bananas and plantains had become commonplace features in the agricultural landscape across much of the Caribbean, southern Mexico and Central America. The banana can produce new pseudo-stems over and over again, but they are all genetically identical, more akin to grass in a lawn than trees in the forest. The impact on the banana trade was devastating, particularly to the interests of the largest plantation operator, the United Fruit Company.
