Why are bananas bent and what is the banana plant called?

Answer 1

Save the Aussie Banana

Bananas start life very, very straight but as the bunch emerges from the top of the plant and the bracts roll back (bracts are the leathery purple things that separate the hands of bananas) and fall off, the bananas begin to spread out and turn upward.

They do this because bananas are negatively geo-tropic. This means that they grow away from the pull of gravity, as opposed to turning upward toward the sun.

Because the Cavendish bunch is quite large and hangs almost straight down, the bananas generally have an even bend in them all the way round the bunch.

However Ladyfinger bunches sit almost at right angles to the plant and the bananas on the top side of the bunch grow straight upward while the bananas on the bottom side twist right around. Though there is no difference in the fruit the twisted bananas from the bottom side of the bunch generally don't make it to market, which is one reason that Ladyfinger bananas are more expensive because not all the bunch can be marketed.

PS To contact the Save the Aussie Banana Hotline, phone [phone]. or visit: http://www.abgc.org.au/pages/saveaussie/SavetheAussieBanana.asp

Answer 2

Banana and plaintain belong to the musaceae family. They are not the same, but belong to the banana family.
Therefore, the banana plant would be called the banana tree. I have 2 theories on why bananas are bent.

1. they grow straight downwards first and then turn towards the sun as they get bigger.

2. to prevent the bananas from falling out from their skins. If they are too straight, the weight of the fruit may just cause it to burst through the skin because the endpoint has to bear all the weight. But if it is slightly bent, the pressure is more evenly distributed.

Answer 3

Being bent helps them to grow in bunch. If they were straight, they would stick out from the stalk too much, fewer could grow on the stalk and they would be in danger of being damaged. They grow on a banana tree.

Plantains are a little different from bananas and need to be cooked before being eaten.

Answer 4

i answered this question a month ago from another poster and got best answer for it. here it is.

Bananas are 15-22cm long. Their shape is characteristically curved, because bananas grow upwards towards sunlight for hormonal reasons. Green at first, the skin turns yellow during ripening. The skin is separated from the flesh by a fibrous layer that makes it easy to peel. White to yellow in color, the flesh is firm at first and becomes sweeter and softer during ripening.

Source(s):
http://www.doleeurope.com/products/fruit...

Answer 5

It is the nature. Banana plant is called is PLANTAIN.