The cooked fruit becomes a starch. Green unripe bananas can be boiled or baked in their skins, and are usually eaten as a starch, replacing potatoes, bread or taro . Surplus ripe bananas can be peeled and frozen for later use. They can also be sun-dried on screens, or in an indoor oven or dehydrator machine. They are a fair source of phosphorus and contain some calcium and iron.
New plants develop quickly from underground stems, usually forming clumps of plants.
The new plants are called keiki, children. Cutting out and transplanting excess pohuli helps to promote fruit production. Keeping two keiki per parent plant seems to work out best. There are many planting rituals, times and beliefs to ensure productivity. Sometimes planting occurs on the night of the full moon, when the moon is shining straight into the hole.