Banana tree. Stem of green bananas (at centre right) ripening on a banana tree. Clusters of bananas are known as hands. Below the fruit is a bunch of purple tubular flowers and above are the large leaves of the tree. Banana trees are tropical plants that grow to a height of about six metres. During growth, the flower stem grows through the top of the leaf system and bears bunches of flowers in the axes of bracts. After the flower is fertilised, the bract falls off and the whole cluster hangs over due to the weight of the developing fruit. Unripe bananas contain an abundance of starch which changes to sugar upon ripening. Photographed in Oman.