Appearance
Almost all cultivated plantains and many cultivated bananas are triploid cultivars of ''M.'' × ''paradisiaca''. It is believed that Southeast Asian farmers first domesticated ''M. acuminata''. When the cultivated plants spread north-west into areas where ''M. balbisiana'' was native , hybrids between the two species occurred and were then developed further into a wide range of cultivars.Hundreds of cultivars of ''M.'' × ''paradisiaca'' are known, possessing characteristics that are highly variable, but broadly intermediate between the ancestral species. They are typically 2–9 metres tall when mature. The above-ground part of the plant is a "false stem" or pseudostem, consisting of leaves and their fused bases. Each pseudostem can produce a single flowering stem. After fruiting, the pseudostem dies, but offshoots may develop from the base of the plant. Cultivars of ''M.'' × ''paradisiaca'' are usually sterile, without seeds or viable pollen.
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