Bananas are herbaceous; the stem is a horizontal rhizome that grows underground. A bud or 'eye' on the rhizome sends up a tightly packed spiral of leaves; the tight bundle of leaf bases forms a pseudostem. When sufficiently mature, the inflorescence grows from the rhizome up through the center of the leaf bases and emerges at the top. Colored bracts along the inflorescence subtend each cluster of flowers--the hands of future bananas.

Depending upon the expert, there are twenty-five to forty species of Musa and hundreds of cultivars. The edible bananas and plantains are Musa acuminata and Musa X paradisiaca. Musa acuminata has diploid and polyploid forms; Musa X paradisiaca are mostly tetraploids having derived full chromosome complements from their parents, M. acuminata and M. balbisiana. Because of the odd complements of chromosomes, edible bananas/plantains usually have only vestigial seeds.

The ornamental or flowering banana (Musa ornata Roxburgh) is grown for its good looks. Since it is diploid (normal chromosome count), it will form viable black seeds within the berry. Ornamental banana flowers are sheltered under the pink bracts until ready for pollination.

When the pink bract curls back, it exposes a single row of yellowish orange pistillate (female) flowers, instead of two rows like commercial bananas. The modified petals sit atop the ovary which already has the shape of a tiny banana. Male flowers are also in single rows, but are situated further along the inflorescence and will not mature until later.

After the berries have ripened, the pseudostem dies and collapses. But new buds along the rhizome are already sending up new bundles of leaves.

Chelsie's Note: There are no two ways about it, bananas are large dramatic plants. And that is probably where the confusion comes in. Bananas are not trees and bananas are not palms. For that matter, palms are not trees. A banana is a banana, a palm is a palm, and an oak is a tree. One would never say "I drive a car truck" or "I own a pet canary eagle"; it is mixing nouns that simply do not belong together as if one of the nouns was an adjective. So when you hear someone talking about "banana trees" or "banana palms", you have proof positive that that person is among the horticultural illiterati and can smirk with superiority.