Musapedia
The banana knowledge compendium
How was the banana domesticated?
What is the scientific name of the banana?
Which group of bananas is rich in precursors of vitamin A?
What is a banana mat?
Which country is the largest producer of bananas?
Which part of the banana plant is called sucker?
What is the natural range of wild bananas?
What is a checklist of banana cultivars?
Are Plantains a type of banana?
How do scientists classify banana cultivars?
The banana plant is a tree-like perennial herb. It is an herb because its aerial parts die down to the ground after the growing season and it is a perennial because an offshoot growing at the base of the plant, the sucker, replaces the mother plant. What looks like a trunk is in fact a a pseudostem made from tightly packed leaf sheaths.Musa acuminata ssp. banksii is one of the wild bananas whose genetic signature is found in edible bananas, especially those from the New Guinea area.
Throughout the website, banana refers to both the sweet types that are eaten raw and the starchy ones that are cooked. Find out why we don't say banana and plantain.
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