Banana

A banana is an elongated edible fruit produced by several species of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus *Musa*.

A banana is an elongated edible fruit produced by several species of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus *Musa*. Botanically, bananas are classified as berries, while in everyday usage they are treated as fruits. Most cultivated bananas are seedless and are widely eaten raw or used in cooking. In Canada, bananas are a standard imported fruit and one of the most commonly purchased fresh fruits by Canadian households.

Botanical classification

Bananas meet the botanical definition of a berry because they develop from one flower with a single ovary and have fleshy fruit tissue surrounding embedded seeds. This differs from everyday language, where bananas are simply considered fruits.

Cultivation and varieties

Most bananas sold commercially are seedless or nearly seedless cultivated varieties. Modern edible bananas largely descend from wild *Musa acuminata* and *Musa balbisiana* lineages.

Uses and food value

Bananas are eaten raw, blended, baked, or cooked depending on the variety. They are a common source of carbohydrate and are widely used as a convenient snack food.

Ripening

Bananas produce ethylene gas, which helps drive ripening in climacteric fruits. Placing bananas in a paper bag with other ripe fruit can speed ripening by concentrating ethylene around the fruit.