We all have seen bananas grow on plants and we have also many times wondered why the bananas are curved upwards. There is a biological reason behind the shape of bananas.
The reason why they are curved upwards is due to the phenomena of negative geotropism. The first and foremost thing to know about a banana is that it is a berry and grows on a herb and not on a tree. We don’t often see crescent moon-shaped fruits like bananas, right? Read further to know the phenomena then.
What is negative geotropism?
Geotropism is the tendency of plants and fruits to grow in a particular direction towards the force of gravity. The growth towards the direction of gravity is called Positive Geotropism. For example, the growth of roots.
On the other hand, the growth of fruits and plants in the direction opposite to that of gravity is called Negative Geotropism.
Why are bananas curved upwards?
Bananas follow negative geotropism, hence they do not grow towards the ground instead they grow towards the sunlight. In simple terms, since bananas grow against a certain force they are curved.
The reason for this particular growth pattern followed by bananas is that the very first bananas were grown in a rainforest. Rain forests experience extremely little sunlight. Hence, to balance itself, the plant started growing towards the sunlight. This helped the plants to receive maximum possible sunlight.
Initially, the developing fruits grow downwards, like the other fruits. Slowly they become straight and finally start growing towards the sun.
STAGE 1
STAGE 2
STAGE 3
More to know:
- Bananas contain Potassium 40 hence they are radioactive.
- They are berries
- They grow on a herb and not on a tree.
