this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2025
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Houseplants
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Awesome, it's not a tree though it's a giant herb. Still cool.
Then explain to me what an tree is. Is it the presence or absence of hemi-celluose? Lignin? Welwitschia has both. Is it a tree?
Does it have to evolve from another tree? Can you make a group of trees that isn't paraphyletic?
“trees” (and “herbs”) aren’t natural clades but rather form‑based, morphological grades, and only really colloquially so. In cladistic terms they’re polyphyletic or at best paraphyletic. Its a term that pulls together organisms by shared structure (woodiness, height, lack of wood) rather than by a single common ancestor and all its descendants. But it doesn't need to meet all of those terms to fall into the group.
Its fine to call it a tree. They are pretty tall, and they fill the role many tree species fill. You can't grow them like an "herb", whatever tf that is. You have to manage them like you would a tree. If you call it a banana tree people will know what you are talking about. Its what people who grow bananas call them, which is usually a better source for a use-term.
It's considered an herb because the vegetation dies back after fruiting, instead of remaining persistent. If you really want to get technical it's a forb, which is an herb that isn't grass-like. But yeah, it's literally just a description of its growth habit. I don't think I've ever heard someone casually calling a Wisteria a "liana" , for example, because it's not really a helpful term outside of certain botanical contexts
It's not "considered a herb" it is a herbivorous plant. That dudes a dope.