Known commonly as the Banana, the genus Musa contains about 25 species of giant treelike herbs from Asia. Unlike other trees, the banana never grows a woody secondary layer. Once the banana plant produces flowers and fruit, that leaf stalk will die and new stalks will rise from the roots.

Bananas are very nutritious containing vitamins A, B, C and E. The banana relative Plantians are cooked and eaten like vegetables in tropical America and Africa. One species of Musa, Manila Hemp, is grown for fiber and used in rope making and paper pulp.

There are about 40 species of Coffea shrubs or trees, native to Old World tropics. This plant is widely grown in tropical areas around the world for the coffee beans used in commercial coffee production. The British were heavy coffee consumers until disease killed off many plantations, forcing them to switch to tea. After the crisis many never switched back.

The part of the plant used for making coffee is the seeds within the fruit. The beans are harvested and then roasted differently, according to the type of coffee desired. The temperature at which the beans are roasted has a direct effect on the flavor of the coffee.

 
Though not typically thought of as a fruit, the Vanilla plant yields pods used in the production of commercial vanilla. A member of the orchid family, there are approximately 90 species of Vanilla but only a few are the source of commercial vanilla. The vanilla orchid is grown in many tropical areas, where temperature and humidity are high, the soil is rich in organic matter, and there is constant shade. The vines are usually supported on poles or the trunks of shade trees. The flowers must be hand pollinated when the plant is grown in areas where its natural pollinating insects are not found.

The fully grown but unripe seed pods are dried and fermented. The fermented pods become covered with a frosty coating of crystals which contain vanillin. Vanilla extract is made from beans which have been soaked in alcohol. Vanilla is well known for its uses in ice cream, chocolates, candies, desserts and liquers.