If you were to see a banana plantation, you’d probably say “yes,” bananas do grow on trees. But although banana plants certainly look like trees, growing up to 30 feet tall, they’re really giant shoots, the banana plant is an herb, not a tree! In fact, the banana is the largest plant on earth without a woody stem.
The “trunk” of the banana tree is really a collection of thick leaves that are curled up to form a stem. Because the banana plant is a shoot and not a tree, each plant can bear fruit only once.
After the bananas are picked, the shoot is cut down and a new one is nurtured in its place. One banana plant can produce ten bunches of fruits, containing about 150 bananas altogether.
A banana plant grows so rapidly, it can add an inch to its size in one night.
Some workers on banana plantations say they can “hear” banana plants growing at night!
