Perennial herb, tree-like, up to 8 m tall, aerial shoots or pseudostem grown from a true underground stem (corm). Rhizome short or long, growing laterally to produce a clump of suckers. Roots fibrous, succulent. Pseudostem succulent, consisting of overlapping, compressed leaf sheaths. Leaves oblong, up to 500 × 100 cm, midrib pronounced, with distinct pinnately arranged, parallel veins. Inflorescence terminal, one from each pseudostem; compound, spike-like, compact and conical to ovoid or narrowly ellipsoid; enclosed in large, ovate or narrowly elliptic, pointed, reddish bract; female flowers develop toward base, male flowers toward distal end of inflorescence. Infructescence bears bunches of fruits; long, bare axis terminating in a cone inflorescence of male flowers and subtending bracts. Fruit a berry, more or less cylindrical, more or less curved, rounded or nearly 4-sided in cross-section. Musa acuminata Colla: Inflorescence horizontal or pendulous, peduncle usually downy or hairy, male flowers not red. Fruit subsessile. Seeds compressed. Extremely variable, with at least 5 subspecies distinguished. Musa balbisiana Colla: Inflorescence horizontal or pendulous, peduncle glabrous, male flowers tinged with red. Fruit long-pedicellate Seeds subglobose.

Common commercial cultivars grown for their fruits in Thailand include ‘Namwa’, ‘Hom-thong’, and ‘Khai’. Many other cultivars grown locally throughout the country. All cultivars are seedless. A few wild species are common in moist areas with partial shade along creeks or mountain slopes, at elevations from near-sea level to above 2,000 m a.s.l. Propagated by separation of suckers, which are then planted at a spacing of 3 × 4 m.
Young fruits, young pseudostem, and inflorescence are common ingredients in various local dishes throughout Thailand. Young inflorescences are sometimes eaten raw with hot and spicy dishes, and often cooked as main ingredients of curries.