Bananas
There’s something universally comforting about the look of a banana. Its cheerful yellow peel, gentle curve, and soft interior make it one of the most recognizable fruits on the planet. Whether it’s tucked into lunchboxes, blended into smoothies, or simply peeled and eaten on the go, the banana has become a daily companion to people around the world.
But the banana’s distinct appearance—its elongated shape, smooth skin, and often sunny coloring—has quietly inspired a family of lookalikes in the plant world. From tropical mountains to desert landscapes, nature has given us several fruits that mimic the banana’s form, even if they differ wildly in taste, texture, or use.
Let’s explore these banana doppelgängers and discover how each one visually echoes this beloved fruit:
1. Plantains
At first glance, plantains could easily be mistaken for bananas. They’re longer, thicker, and often greener, but the overall shape is nearly identical. In fact, they belong to the same genus (Musa), and it’s only their starchier composition that sets them apart. Like bananas, they grow in large hanging bunches and share that same curved silhouette.
2. Musa velutina (Pink Banana)
This ornamental banana species is a showstopper. Its fruits are much smaller than common bananas, but they have a similar shape and peel-open style. The key difference? They’re bright pink and fuzzy, with a vibrant outer skin and surprisingly edible inner fruit—although they’re full of hard seeds. Still, the curved, finger-like form is unmistakably banana-esque.
3. Enset (False Banana)
Native to Ethiopia, Enset looks very much like a traditional banana plant, and it even produces banana-shaped fruit. However, these fruits are typically inedible. It’s the starchy pseudostem and underground corm that locals use as a food source. The fruits themselves, though rarely consumed, bear a strong visual resemblance to green bananas in both shape and arrangement.
4. Banana Yucca Fruit
Don’t let the desert setting fool you—the fruit of the banana yucca plant has a definite banana look. These thick, green pods hang like squat bananas and have a similar tapering at both ends. They don’t peel easily like bananas, but their size and shape could trick a casual observer into thinking they’re a wild, rugged cousin of the banana.
5.Banana Passionfruit
With its long, slightly curved body and soft, yellowish peel, the banana passionfruit is named for a reason. It’s slimmer and more delicate than a banana, but the resemblance is clear—especially once you see it hanging from its vine. Inside, however, it’s a different story, with bright orange pulp and edible seeds typical of passionfruit.
6. Cassabanana
This unusual fruit looks like a banana on steroids. Cassabananas can grow up to two feet long and come in colors ranging from deep purple to yellow-orange. Their long, cylindrical form—with a gentle curve and smooth skin—definitely evokes the banana shape. Despite being a type of gourd, they smell sweet and fruity, which only deepens the banana illusion.
7. Babaco
Often described as a “mountain papaya,” the babaco has an elongated, five-sided shape that looks like a cross between a banana and a starfruit. Its pale green-to-yellow skin and uniform body make it easy to mistake for a supersized banana. Cut it open, though, and you’ll find a seedless, juicy flesh with a tangy twist that’s all its own.