Banana tree, Banana tree – Mussa Paradisiaca
Origin: Asia
Trunk measurements: CONSULT
Description: The banyan is not a tree, but a megaforb, a large perennial herb. Like the other Musa species, it lacks a true trunk. Instead, it has leaf sheaths that develop into structures called pseudostems, similar to vertical stems up to 30 cm in basal diameter that are not woody. The leaves are smooth, tender, oblong, with truncate apex and round or slightly cordate base, green on the upper side and lighter and usually glaucous on the underside, with smooth margins and pinnate, yellowish or green veins. The leaves tend to break spontaneously along the veins, giving them a disheveled appearance. The perennial element is the rhizome, superficial or subway, which has meristems from which between 200 and 500 fibrous roots are born, which can reach a depth of 1.5 m and cover 5 m of surface. From the rhizome also sprout offshoots (“suckers”) that replace the main stem after flowering and death. In cultivated specimens only one is usually left to avoid weakening the plant, but in the wild they appear in large numbers; they are the main form of dissemination in sterile varieties, which are the majority.