f13r - banana?

[-JKP-]

Thank you all for the interesting discussion. It seems clear that the various Latin manuscripts are related. The text in BNF Lat 6823 (Manfredus de Monte Imperiali) describes Musa as having "leaves similar to those of elecampane [enula], but longer and larger; [it has] long and thick stems on which it makes fruits that look like cucumbers". The effect is very similar to what we observed when discussing Trinity MS.O.2.48; the text was apparently written by someone who had seen a banana palm tree and tried to describe it making reference to plants that were common in Europe.
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I completely agree, and the reference to a cucumber is apt because bananas are picked when they are green, the color of cucumbers (bananas that are ripened on the tree are not safe for humans to eat).