I really want to be like banana trees. Not physically! I am really proud of banana trees because all parts of them are very useful for human. They have trunk, leaves, heart (flower), fruits, and also rhizome (underground stem). They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.
Tree
People around the river use banana trees as traditionalism raft. They are also used as raw material for many kinds of handy crafts and laces. When the banana fruits are ready to be harvested, the tree should be cut. In a period, new banana tree will grow next to the dead tree. Banana tree will not dead until it produces the fruit.
Rhizome
Banana trees have underground stem or rhizome as their root. One of important jobs of this part is to produce the new generation of banana tree after the old tree is dead. One cannot seed a banana tree, still that tree is reproduced and grows. As many other plants it has asexual reproduction, where the new plants are identical in every respect to the parent plant.
The asexual reproduction involves no union of cells or nuclei of cells, there are not mingling of genetic traits. There emerges a large flower spike, with numerous individual flowers, that bends downward to become fruits. After the plants had fruits, they die and are replaced by others that arise from the underground stem, and that process can keep on going for many years.
Children in village use this trunk to make their own toys. They use it to make a toys gun and play together using it. Nice!
Fruits
Banana fruits are used a lot in culinary, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Several kinds of banana can be eaten raw, while other have to be cooked first. This fruit contains many vitamins that are good for our body. Beside that it also has carbohydrates, energy, dietary fiber, fat, protein, and many other substances.
Banana leaves are often used as ecologically friendly disposable food containers or as “plates”. Steamed with dishes it imparts a subtle sweet flavour. It is often also seen used as a wrapping for grilling food and as such it contains the juices and prevents the food from getting burned whilst at the same time giving off a subtle flavour.
Banana heart (banana flower, banana blossom) is used as vegetables and cooked in soup and curry. It tastes good.
Not only people like eating banana, but also monkeys love it.
