Common name: Banana • Hindi: Kela केला • Manipuri: লফূ থরো Laphoo tharo • Tamil: Vaazha வாழை • Malayalam: Vaazha
Botanical name: Musa paradisiaca Family: Musaceae (Banana family)
Banana is a tropical tree-like herb,
with large leaves of which the overlapping bases form the so-called false
trunk. Fully grown, the stem reaches a height of 10 - to 30 feet.
From the center of the crown spring the flowers. Only female flowers develop
into a banana fruit that vary in length from about 4 - 12 inches. The average
weight of a bunch is about 25 lbs. Each banana plant bears fruit only once.
The propagation is through shoots from the rhizomes, since most of the seeds
species are sterile. In India, almost every part of the banana plant is used,
either for food, or for wrapping food.
The unripe fruit of banana, rich in starch, is commonly dried and fried as
chips in south India. The banana stem is also eaten after cooking.
The ripe fruit is commonly eaten.
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