Abyssinian banana

noun

: a perennial plant (Ensete ventricosum) native to eastern Africa that has very large, paddle-shaped leaves and inedible fruits resembling small bananas and that is often grown in warm regions as an ornamental

Note: The leaves of the Abyssinian banana can reach a length of 20 feet (6 meters) and the leaf stalks are an important source of dietary starch in Africa. It was formerly classified in the same genus (Musa) as the banana.

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

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