Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

Hi! I just read some where on this site people talking about how other members call a banana tree a tree and not a plant. Yes I know technically it’s not a tree but what’s wrong with calling it a tree? Everywhere else I’ve seen people calling it a tree (other than myself). What do you think?

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

I don't think there's anything wrong with people calling it whatever they want! We get the idea and know what they mean

It's the same thing when people say Q-Tips... We know what it is even though it is a BRAND and not the actual thing they are referring too (cotton swabs)
Or when I was younger parents would call everything 'Nintendo' even if it was a Playstation :ha::ha:
Or people who call any kind of cereal 'corn flakes' or chips 'cheetos' or 'doritos'
I could go on and on :ha::ha::ha:

Personally I keep it accurate and call them banana plants

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

I get it! Very funny! :ha: I just :0493: laughing!

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

It’s really not a big deal what you call them, but when I give talks on banana cultivation I always start with stressing the importance of the fact that they are not trees. I do this because nearly every single decision that is to be made about how to grow them has at it’s core the concept that they are not trees and should not be treated as such. Most of the standard recommendations and considerations for growing trees just don’t apply at all to bananas because they are not trees. So call them what you want, but know that they are not trees and you will have a lot better insight on to effectively care for them.

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

Thank you for your reply! The way you described it totally makes sense! So maybe just maybe I’ll learn to call it a plant! :03:

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

I think that is a very valid point, but I don't bother correcting people unless I really think it will be of benefit, in much the same way that Gabe15 has explained. I guess I'd make it into the banana-is-a-tree group if I was not so much into growing them :)

I see it in other domains as well:

- Some people believe that the Internet and the World Wide Web are the same thing. To an IT professional, they are very different.

- Striated (skeletal) muscle. In college, I learnt that striated muscle is so-called because it has the appearance of striae or bands when viewed under a microscope. Watch a bodybuilding contest, however, and a commentator viewing a competitor's definition from many yards away will say something like, "Ooh, look at the striations!"

- Folders in Windows versus Directories in other operating systems such as Linux. They might seem to perform the same function and appear to be used the same way, but they are different.

The funny thing is that over time, I think a lot of such accuracy errors eventually become officially correct over time (not all), using similar pathways that result in languages developing and changing over time. So the striation thing in bodybuilding is accepted as valid, especially within the bodybuilding community.

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

You know what that was pretty interesting! I think that your different examples certainly helped to explain this further for me! Thanks!

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

Hey! Believe it or not I have actually started to call them plants now! I figured that if that’s what they are so I might as well! Thanks again everyone for helping me out with this! :08:

Re: Since when can you not call a banana tree a tree?!
 

Glad that we could be of help! Best wishes with your plant and fruit growing.