MCQ Detailed View

The banana plant is unique among fruit plants because it flowers only once in its lifetime, a phenomenon known as monocarpic flowering. Unlike perennial plants that can flower multiple times over the years, monocarpic plants invest all their energy into a single flowering and fruiting cycle before the plant dies.

In the case of the banana plant, it grows from a rhizome (underground stem) into a tall herbaceous plant. After several months of vegetative growth, it produces a flowering stalk, also called an inflorescence. This stalk emerges from the center of the plant and bears the banana flowers, which eventually develop into banana fruits. Once fruiting is complete, the main stem of the banana plant stops growing and dies, though the plant continues to propagate through suckers or offshoots from the rhizome. This ensures the species can survive and produce new plants in subsequent generations.

This monocarpic nature distinguishes banana from other common fruit plants like mango, peach, or groundnut, which can flower and produce fruits repeatedly over many years. Mango and peach are perennial trees that flower seasonally, and groundnut is an annual plant that can complete its life cycle within a single growing season but is not monocarpic in the same way as banana.

Understanding the monocarpic flowering of banana is important in botany and agriculture, as it affects cultivation practices, harvesting, and propagation strategies. Farmers often carefully manage banana plantations by removing the old flowering stem and allowing the suckers to grow, ensuring continuous fruit production. This concept also illustrates how plants have evolved different reproductive strategies to survive and reproduce efficiently.