Leaves are spirally arranged and may grow 2.7 metres (8.9Р’В ft) long and 60Р’В cm (2.0Р’В ft) wide. Most are around 5Р’В m (16Р’В ft) tall, with a range from 'Dwarf Cavendish' plants at around 3Р’В m (10Р’В ft) to 'Gros Michel' at 7Р’В m (23Р’В ft) or more. Cultivated banana plants vary in height depending on the variety and growing conditions. As new growth occurs in the centre of the pseudostem the edges are forced apart. The edges of the sheath meet when it is first produced, making it tubular. The base of the petiole widens to form a sheath the tightly packed sheaths make up the pseudostem, which is all that supports the plant. The leaves of banana plants are composed of a 'stalk' ( petiole) and a blade ( lamina). Bananas grow in a wide variety of soils, as long as the soil is at least 60 centimetres (2.0Р’В ft) deep, has good drainage and is not compacted. Plants are normally tall and fairly sturdy, and are often mistaken for trees, but what appears to be a trunk is actually a 'false stem' or pseudostem. All the above-ground parts of a banana plant grow from a structure usually called a ' corm'. The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant. 8 Pests, diseases, and natural disasters.5.3 Peasant cultivation for export in the Caribbean.5.2 Plantation cultivation in the Caribbean, Central and South America.Both genera are in the banana family, Musaceae. It can also refer to members of the genus Ensete, such as the snow banana ( Ensete glaucum) and the economically important false banana ( Ensete ventricosum). This can extend to other members of the genus Musa, such as the scarlet banana ( Musa coccinea), the pink banana ( Musa velutina), and the Fe'i bananas.

The term 'banana' is also used as the common name for the plants that produce the fruit. In other regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and eaten, so the binary distinction is not as useful and is not made in local languages. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called 'plantains'. Especially in the Americas and Europe, 'banana' usually refers to soft, sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the main exports from banana-growing countries. Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between 'bananas' and 'plantains'.

The world's largest producers of bananas in 2017 were India and China, which together accounted for approximately 38% of total production. They are grown in 135 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber, banana wine, and banana beer and as ornamental plants. Musa species are native to tropical Indomalaya and Australia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. The old scientific name for this hybrid, Musa sapientum, is no longer used. The scientific names of most cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana, and Musa Р“вЂ” paradisiaca for the hybrid Musa acuminata Р“вЂ” M.Р’В balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. Almost all modern edible seedless ( parthenocarp) bananas come from two wild speciesР’В РІР‚вЂњ Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. The fruit is variable in size, color, and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind, which may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called 'plantains', distinguishing them from dessert bananas. Fruits of four different banana cultivarsР”Р„ banana is an elongated, edible fruit РІР‚вЂњ botanically a berry РІР‚вЂњ produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa.

Picture of a banania