Bananas

Bananas are easy to grow. They do not need much care. As long as there is good drainage, you can leave them alone to take care of themselves.

Although there are many varieties of bananas, they are divided into two main groups – the normal bananas that we eat, also called dessert bananas, and Plantains. Plantains are more starchy and not as sweet; they are eaten cooked rather than raw.

Bananas come in different sizes, but they are usually elongated. Some are curved. Generally, bananas are green in colour when they are unripe. The green turns to yellow when the banana ripens. But there are bananas that are burgundy in colour.

Here are a few things about bananas which you may not know.

According to botanical definition, Bananas are actually berries – “In botany, a berry is a fleshy fruit without a stone (pit) produced from a single flower containing one ovary.” - Wikipedia.

Bananas do not have trunks. Instead they have what is called pseudostems – “a false stem made of the rolled bases of leaves.”

Bananas do not ripen at the same time. The bananas sold at the supermarket – the nice yellow colour is caused by the artificial ripening process. Bananas for export are picked green, and ripen in special rooms upon arrival in the destination country.

Uses of banana leaves and the stem.

Banana leaves can be used as wrappers for food and are commonly used to wrap ‘kueh’ – Asian dessert-pastries.

The stem of the banana plant can be dried and stripped to fine strands to be used as strings.

A young banana plant and already bearing fruits. The soil must be very fertile.

A different variety of banana.

Young shoots from from the parent plant.

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