The term Banana usually refers to the sweet fruit that is botanically a berry, produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. The fruit is often varied in size colour and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind which is may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruit can be eaten raw or can be cooked and added to desserts and baked goods. The leaves of the banana plant are can also be used in cooking as something to cook in or on in many cultures.