Bananas Actually Grow on 'Grass', Not 'Trees'

Although commonly called 'banana trees' because they can grow up to 10 meters tall, bananas are botanically classified not as trees, but as the world's largest perennial herb (herbaceous plant). Why not a tree?: The sturdy trunk that looks like a tree is actually a 'false stem (pseudostem)' formed by tightly overlapping leaf sheaths. If you cut it open, you'll find no woody growth rings, only leaves. One Fruiting Cycle: A single banana plant fruits only once in its lifetime, after which the stem dies off, and a new shoot emerges from the roots to grow again.