There are two main varieties of bananas, the fruit or sweet banana and the plantain. The fruit banana is eaten raw out of hand when it turns yellow and develops a succulent sweetness with a soft, smooth, creamy, yet firm pulp.
Plantain and banana, both are native to East Asia and Australia but are now grown throughout the tropics. Though commonly called ‘trees’, they are actually the world’s largest herbaceous plants, as they do not develop woody stems like trees. It dies back after each fruiting and produces new growth for the next generation of fruit.
The plantain, a cooking banana, is also referred to as the meal, vegetable or horse banana. Plantains have lower water content, making them drier and starchier than fruit bananas. The plantain is relatively rich in ascorbic acid and higher in carotene content than bananas.
Banana belongs to the genus Musa, of the family Musaceae and the order of Scitamineae, but the botany of the cultivated forms has only relatively recently been cleared defined.
Banana are grown in tropics, the areas of the world just north and south of the equator. Banana need a warm climate where rainfall is plentiful to grow and stay healthy.
Banana is considered a source of vitamin A, C and B but best known as an excellent source of potassium, containing twice the concentration in other ripe fruits.
Fruit of banana
