Banana families

The "banana-families" or banana group is a basal paraphyletic assemblage in the order Zingiberales (:Monocotyledoneae) that comprises Musaceae (the banana family), Lowiaceae, Strelitziaceae, and Heliconiaceae. These taxa differentiate from the "ginger-families" derived clade by their plesiomorphic state of five or six fertile stamens, and generally have large banana-like leaves that are easily torn between secondary veins.

Morphologically, this is a more homogeneous group than the "ginger-families" clade. In the past these families were often combined into the single family Musaceae.