The banana plant, Musa paradisiaca, is the world’s largest herbaceous perennial plant and belongs to the family Musaceae. It is grown for it’s fleshy, curved banana fruit. The plant is tall, tropical and tree-like with a sturdy main pseudostem (not a true stem as it is made of rolled leaf bases) with the leaves arranged spirally at the top. The leaves are large blades with a pronounced central midrib and obvious veins. They can reach up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length and up to 0.6 m (2.0 ft) in width.
Each pseudostem produces a group of flowers which may also be called the ‘banana heart’ from which the fruits develop in an hanging cluster. The banana fruits are comprised of a protective outer layer, or skin, with numerous long, thin strings that run between the skin and the edible inner portion.
The seeds are tiny black specks running through the center of the fruit. In commercial plantations, the parent banana plant dies after harvest and is replaced with a daughter plant. However, a plantation can grow for 25 years or more if managed properly.
The trees can reach heights between 2 and 9 m (6.6–29.5 ft). Bananas may also be referred to as plantains and the cultivated varieties are derived from ancestors which originated from the Malaysian peninsula, New Guinea and South-East Asia.
Uses
The fruit is the most widely used part of the plant and can be eaten fresh or cooked or processed into starch, chips, puree, beer, vinegar or dehydrated to produce dried fruit. The fruit may also be processed into flour which is used in baking, soups or beverages. The flowers of the plant may be used as a vegetable. Fresh leaves have a high protein content and can be fed to cattle. Other uses for leaves include polishing floors, lining pots or wrapping food.
