The Banana Plant

• Banana plants are the largest plants on earth without a woody stem. They are actually giant herbs of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms.



• Today's commercial bananas are scientifically classified into the genus Musa of the Musaceae family.



• The Cavendish is the most common variety of bananas now imported to the United States. The Cavendish is a shorter, stubbier plant than earlier varieties. It was developed to resist plant diseases, insects and windstorms better than its predecessors. The Cavendish fruit is of medium size, has a creamier, smooth texture, and a thinner peel than earlier varieties.



• Bananas are perennial crops that are grown and harvested year-round. The banana plant does not grow from a seed but rather from a rhizome or bulb. Each fleshy bulb will sprout new shoots year after year.



• Each banana plant bears only one stem of fruit. To produce a new stem, only two shoots - known as the daughter and the granddaughter - are allowed to grow and be cultivated from the main plant.



• The plant thrives in tropical climates and is generally grown within 30 degrees North and South latitude. It needs temperatures around 80°F., annual rainfall of 79 to 98 inches and moist soil with good drainage.



• The banana plant reaches its full height of 15 to 30 feet in about one year. The trunk of a banana plant is made of sheaths of overlapping leaves, tightly wrapped around each other like celery stalks.



• Because the banana stalk is not woody and is 93% water, even moderate winds can blow down a plant. Severe windstorms known as blowdowns can destroy acres of plants in minutes. To help prevent such damage each plant is propped with sturdy poles or overhead cables.



• When leaf formation is completed, in approximately two months, a flowering stalk emerges from the top and a large bud grows downward from the stalk's tip. Purplish leaves around the bud unfold and banana blossoms are revealed. Each female blossom becomes an individual banana fruit.



• After the stem forms on the plant, it is covered with a large, transparent plastic bag which shields it from insects, birds and leaf damage, yet allows the sun to reach the fruit.



• On each stem, ten or more bananas growing together are called "hands" and a single banana is called a "finger." Four to six bananas sold in the retail store are called a "cluster."



• Banana plants require intensive, individual care: clearing away of jungle growth, propping to counter bending from the weight of the growing fruit, and irrigation during the dry season.



• Within 8 to 10 months, stems are ready to be harvested. Stems average 150 fingers and weigh 85 to 100 pounds each. Once a stem is removed, the main plant is cut away and the daughter becomes the main plant repeated the cycle.