23 October 2009
Banana plants are not trees. They are large herbaceous perennials – so they don’t have a woody trunk or large root system.
The original species of banana produces an inedible fruit that is full of seeds. Cultivated bananas don’t have seeds, although you can sometimes see small brown marks inside the yellow flesh where seeds would have once developed.
Bananas originated in Malaysia. From there, they found their way to India. Alexander the Great brought the banana from India to the Western world.
Bananas were grown in the southern region of China since 200 BC but were considered exotic, rare fruits and didn’t achieve mass popularity until the 20th century.
The name banana comes from the Arabic banan, for finger.
In 1876 bananas were sold in Pennsylvania USA, wrapped in tin foil, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
It has been suggested that bananas can be used against warts and to ease pre-menstrual tension.
