a)  Banana palms are not trees. There is no wood in a banana palm.

b)  The stem is made up of gigantic leaves so the banana palm is classified as an herb.

c)  Three years ago, I read that the banana palm are classified as a grass, but I am unable to validate that information.

d)  Banana palms only produce fruit once. The palms die away and new shoots spring up. Those shoots can be replanted in other places.

e)  Banana palms grow quickly in the tropics. The first photo below was taken on the day the shoot was replanted. The second photo was of a shoot that had been replanted three days prior, and the third photo was of a shoot five days after replanting.

f)  Banana circles are a permaculture technique that is most often used in tropical and subtropical regions. They help create humus and water retention where soils are either sandy or heavy clay. This photo shows a banana palm circle with a compost pile in the middle.

g)  Banana palms produce very unusual flower buds. One day, I saw a squirrel like this trying to get into one of the buds but I couldn’t take a photo quick enough to catch it in action. I haven’t seen an open flower yet this year but here is a photo I found on Wikimedia.

h)  The banana palm leaf has an intricate series of veins running through it.

i)  The path to Amritapuri’s Saraswati Garden is lined with banana palms. I can imagine what that path will look like next year!

j)  I think banana palms are so beautiful.

For more information or to see beautiful photos go to: A Banana Plant Is an Herb (Or, Little Known Banana Facts)