Bananas of S. America
The word “banana” is of Spanish origin. It is also known as plantain, so named by English explorers, for whom the wild bananas of Jamaica and South America made a welcome change in a monotonous diet. Bananas flourish in many parts of South America, where the cli mate is warm with a steady rail all the year round, and where the soil is fertile. The tallest plants grow to a height of 7 metres, having large ragged
leaves. From the middle of each plant grows a flowering shoot, which grows into a long stalk bearing several clusters or “hands” of fruit, so named because of the way the bananas grow out from a central point like fingers. One stalk may yield six to 12 hands, each consisting of 12 to 18 fingers. Thus, one stalk may produce as many as 200 bananas. Other products of the banana plant are flour, and string or rope from the tough fibres of the leaves.
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Press, 27 March 1979, Page 12
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165Bananas of S. America Press, 27 March 1979, Page 12
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