banana: n. a gigantic herbaceous plant of the genus Musa or its nutritious fruit: a plantain (Spanish or Portuguese from the native name in Guinea)

to go bananas: to loose ones sense and bearing over a particular issue; eccentric; nutty.

Banana Republic: In the 1890's major U.S. fruit companies began establishing banana plantations in Honduras. By the early 1900's bananas became a major economic activity in Honduras to the extent that taxes generated by these U.S. fruit companies paid for most of the Honduran government's expenses. The government extended special privileges to these fruit companies thereby increasing the government revenue and the company's profits. This happy situation also had the fruit companies exercising influence on government economic policies to suit their commercial operations. The term banana republic referring to several developing countries was first applied to Honduras.

Bananas are grown in large quantities all over the tropics. The fruits are rich and nutritious and are enjoyed all over the world. Un-ripe fruits are used extensively for cooking. The plants themselves provide fiber from their leaf sheaths. Succulent stems when cut into sizeable pieces and cooked with other ingredients make a nutritious animal feed. The leaves are used as disposable plates for serving food. Stems which have produced fruit died down  make excellent fertiliser  when chopped and added to a compost heap. The male flowers from the unique inflorescence are boiled and cooked as a curry or made into a fresh salad with seasoning (Recipe). In most Hindu religious ceremonies, a banana plant is used for decoration. The stem, with a crown of leaves is cut and fastened on to gate posts at the entrance of a home. They are also used to demarcate four corners of a religious altar set up during worship. Above all, the graceful leaves of a banana plant on a tall stem swaying in the wind is a scene very representative of the tropics.

For a rather complete treatment of the Bananas (Musaceae) and a listing of the genera and species, check out David Constantine's webpage at: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/