The banana argument is dumb, too, because there is no taxonomic definition of what a “tree” even is.
I’ve also commonly heard “Palm trees aren’t actually trees, they’re grass,” which is correct from a taxonomic standpoint but ignores the fact that “tree” isn’t an official classification of anything. It’s simply a term applied to any tall plant with a woody trunk, which banana definitely counts among.
Like when people say that spiders aren’t bugs. Bug isn’t a scientific term, it’s just slang for creepy-crawlies. They usually mean that spiders aren’t insects.
Mate, I’ll be honest with you here - I grow bananas on my property and I can definitely tell you the last term I’d use to describe their trunks is ‘woody’. They’re so moisture-laden and ultra porous that anyone who’s ever had to cut or cull banana will know for sure that they’re not made of wood. You can easily carve through a 15-20cm trunk of a banana plant with a sharp machete and one strong swing - try that on anything generally considered to be a tree and you’ll be lucky to get a fair chip out of the trunk.
I’ve got no skin in the game as to whether or not they’re trees, or what the fuck a ‘tree’ even is, but anyone who’s dealt with growing bananas is pretty unlikely to consider them in the same group as woody trees. Damn things grow like weeds anyway!
Fair, it’s a loose definition of woody, but all wood really is is load-bearing cellulose.
Bamboo, for example, is completely hollow inside, very unlike normal wood either, but we still consider it “woody” even though it’s really just a reinforced piece of grass.
The banana argument is dumb, too, because there is no taxonomic definition of what a “tree” even is.
I’ve also commonly heard “Palm trees aren’t actually trees, they’re grass,” which is correct from a taxonomic standpoint but ignores the fact that “tree” isn’t an official classification of anything. It’s simply a term applied to any tall plant with a woody trunk, which banana definitely counts among.
Like when people say that spiders aren’t bugs. Bug isn’t a scientific term, it’s just slang for creepy-crawlies. They usually mean that spiders aren’t insects.
Mate, I’ll be honest with you here - I grow bananas on my property and I can definitely tell you the last term I’d use to describe their trunks is ‘woody’. They’re so moisture-laden and ultra porous that anyone who’s ever had to cut or cull banana will know for sure that they’re not made of wood. You can easily carve through a 15-20cm trunk of a banana plant with a sharp machete and one strong swing - try that on anything generally considered to be a tree and you’ll be lucky to get a fair chip out of the trunk.
I’ve got no skin in the game as to whether or not they’re trees, or what the fuck a ‘tree’ even is, but anyone who’s dealt with growing bananas is pretty unlikely to consider them in the same group as woody trees. Damn things grow like weeds anyway!
Fair, it’s a loose definition of woody, but all wood really is is load-bearing cellulose.
Bamboo, for example, is completely hollow inside, very unlike normal wood either, but we still consider it “woody” even though it’s really just a reinforced piece of grass.