The "banana-families"[1][2] or banana group[3][4] is a basal paraphyletic assemblage in the order Zingiberales (Monocotyledoneae) that comprises Musaceae (the banana family), Lowiaceae, Strelitziaceae, and Heliconiaceae.[1][2] These taxa differentiate from the "ginger-families" derived clade by their plesiomorphic state of five or six fertile stamens,[1][2][5] and generally have large banana-like[1][2] leaves that are easily torn[5] between secondary veins.
Morphologically, this is a more homogeneous group than the "ginger-families" clade.[2] In the past the banana families were often combined into the single family Musaceae.[3][1][2]
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