Pollinators in Paradise
One of the perks of living in the tropics is the ability to plant “fruit trees.” Bananas, mango, and Papaya are ornamental and provide edible rewards.
Sometimes I get interesting visitors enjoying the fruit.
While Bananas are often referred to as fruit trees, they are botanically an herb:
“A banana is considered an herb in botanical terms because it never forms a woody stem (or trunk) the way a tree does. Rather, it forms a succulent stalk, or pseudostem.
The pseudostem begins as a small shoot from an underground rhizome called a corm. It grows upward as a single stalk with a tight spiral of leaf sheaths wrapped around it. Banana leaves are simply extensions of the sheaths.
As the pseudostem grows, these leaves unfurl and fan out at the top. They’re fragile for their size and shred easily, resulting in the feathery fronds we usually associate with banana palms.
Over the course of a year, the stalk gradually pushes its way out from the center of the pseudostem and terminates in a large, flowering, fruit-bearing bud called an inflorescence.”
Who knew?
The flower that emerges from the plant attracts pollinators including bees and hummingbirds. The nectar from those little flowers is a magnet that brings moments of joy. Will I have bananas in time for the holidays?
I hope you enjoy this companion reel as our pollinators work their magic!
Thank you Jackie. The banana flower has always fascinated me. Surprising to me that it is classified as an herb!
Interesting and new! Thanks, Jackie.