Banana, Musa L., is a genus of tropical herbs that includes some edible species. The most important edible species are M.acuminata Colla and M.balbisiana Colla while there are several varieties and hybrids. The most important variety is the Cavendish banana. These are sterile triploides of the first species that reproduce by producing suckers since individual banana plants die after blooming. Plantains are another variety of sterile banana that a hybrid and it is usually cooked while green and starchy unlike the so called dessert banana that is eaten fresh. A synonymous binomial name for plantain is Musa ×paradisiaca L. (pro sp.) [acuminata × balbisiana], and this alludes to bananas being another fruit identified as the forbidden fruit Eve gave Adam in the garden of Eden. Sterile bananas are the most important because otherwise they would be about half full of seed.
There are some varieties hardy to zone 7, but the fruits of those are generally not considered palatable. This hardiness is for average lows, but such bananas will die in years with near all time winter lows. Most other bananas are damaged at 40oF and killed at 32oF. When I was a preschooler I recall my dad digging up and putting banana trees in the crawlspace to get them through the winter, but each year they seemed to get smaller until the didn't survive or he just gave up on them.
