Bananas do have seeds, although they are quite small and often overlooked. The misconception that bananas are seedless is primarily due to the fact that commercially grown bananas are typically sterile, meaning they cannot reproduce through seeds.
To understand the presence of seeds in bananas, we need to delve into the biology of the fruit. Bananas are classified as berries and are produced by herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. Each banana plant is capable of producing a large inflorescence, or cluster, of flowers. These flowers develop into bunches of bananas.
Within each banana fruit, there are tiny black specks known as seeds. These seeds, also known as ovules, are attached to a central membrane called the placenta. However, these seeds are usually reduced in size and almost vestigial in cultivated varieties. Over time, through selective breeding, the seeds of commercially grown bananas have become less prominent and are often barely visible.
In the wild, bananas reproduce through pollination. The flowers of the banana plant are pollinated by bees and other insects, and this pollination process leads to the development of seeds. However, in commercial banana cultivation, most bananas are propagated through vegetative means such as suckers or tissue culture rather than from seeds.
The reason for this sterility in cultivated bananas is twofold. Firstly, many of the cultivated varieties are triploid, meaning they have three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two sets found in most plants. This triploidy results in reduced fertility and the inability to produce viable seeds. Secondly, the commercial focus on producing seedless bananas is driven by consumer preference for fruits without seeds.
While wild and heirloom banana varieties may still contain viable seeds, the bananas commonly found in supermarkets are typically seedless. This is because the sterile varieties have been selected for their desirable traits such as sweetness, shelf life, and appearance. Seedless bananas are more convenient for consumption as they do not have to be carefully deseeded like other fruits.
While bananas do contain seeds, the commercial cultivation of bananas has led to the development of seedless varieties. The tiny seeds found in bananas have gradually been reduced in size and are often negligible. So, when you peel and eat a banana, you may not come across any noticeable seeds, but rest assured, they are there, albeit in a highly reduced state.