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NAMES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

ENGLISH SHONA SETSWANA

BANANA BANANA PANANA

INFORMATION IN ENGLISH

The fruit fingers grow in clumps known as hands since they resemble--you guessed it--a hand
with fingers; there is an average of 10 to 20 fingers per hand. When the hand is split, the
bananas form clusters, which are made up of roughly three to eight bananas each. The entire
stalk, known as a bunch, takes up to a year for the fruit to ripen enough to be harvested. The
original stem dies after producing fruit, but then side shoots rise from the same underground
corm the bulblike base of the stem to produce a new plant to be harvested the following year.
The fruit itself is sterile, and therefore unable to produce a plant from the minuscule dark

seeds within.
Some banana trees continue producing up to one hundred years, although most banana
plantations renew their stock every 10 to 25 years. It is believed there are over 1,000 varieties
of bananas in the world, with the yellow Cavendish being the most favored in America.
Americans consume an annual average of 28 pounds of bananas per person.

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