Banana
The bananas we know and appreciate are the result of a very long process of selective breeding.
Wild bananas are full of seeds, unlike the seedless ones we buy from the grocery store. The banana has been refined over many years. The best bananas have been consciously selected and grown, and the seedless varieties are the best to eat.
Bananas are grown wherever there is sufficient warmth and moisture. As these bananas cannot form seeds, they are propagated from basal shoots. A banana flowers when the shoot is approximately 9 months old.
In banana plantations, plastic bags are wrapped around the inflorescences. The plastic bags provide protection against pests and diseases as well as blows from the leaves that could mark the fruit.
The bananas are harvested whilst they are still green, then the green bananas are packed and transported in refrigerated ships to Europe and other places. When the bananas arrive in Denmark, they are still green and have to ripen before they are sold in the shops.
Fact box:
- Greenhouse location: Tropican house
- Danish name: Banana
- Latin name: Musa x paradisiaca
- Family: Banana family / Musaceae
- Natural habitat: Southast Asia