Banana

Musa

On this page are the plants that provide the ripe yellow bananas. With an essentially seedless fruit, the plant reproduces with child plants that offshoot from the base of the mother plant. At maturity the banana plant stops producing leaves and sends a flower stem up the center of the pseudostem that will result in the banana stem. As the fruit grows on the stem the plant will lose leaves, it is important that the banana plant has at least five leaves at the time the flower emerges in order for the plant to have the strength to grow the fruit to the desired maturity.

Banana plant

Ecuador, banana plant that has not year reached maturity. The pseudostem is made up of the rolled bases of leaves and the typical banana plant has a pseudostem reaching 2 to 3 meters in height.

Banana plant with fruit

Ecuador, banana plant with fruit ready for harvest and follower plant. The plant will only product one stem of bananas. From a number of follower (or Child) plants a selection is made of one plant that will produce the next banana stem.

banana plantation

Ecuador, view of banana plantation from a small overlook.

Banana plantation

Honduras, a banana plantation in the Sula Valley. Visible is effect of the wind on the wide banana leaf. This wind damage does not affect the vigor of the plant, but strong gusts of wind can blow over a mature banana plant.

afternoon sun

Ecuador, banana plantation with a late afternoon sun hitting the plants.

harvest time

Honduras, a banana plantation with harvested banana stems hanging from the cable-way as they are towed to the packing plant.

Banana plantation

Guatemala, a long canal for supplying water for the irrigation system used in the banana plantation.