# Diagnose my hairy banana! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679 "2005-12-08T15:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/1 "2005-12-08T15:25:29Z")
I have a banana at my desk this morning. I brought it to work yesterday, and left it on the desk oevernight. The skin is starting to get dark brown and spotty, but the banana still feels firm. When I peeled it open a few miuntes ago, I saw something unusal. There are several (4-5) long, super-fine threads radiating off the open end of the banana! The longest is about two inches long, the others somewhat less. When I say super-fine, I mean these things are markedly less substantial than a human hair. The closest thing I can compare them to is spider web. They are standing out straight, apparently held somewhat apart (by static electricity, perhaps?) They seem to have an extremely small corkscrew shape when I squint at them very closely. They are apparently coming off the peel itself and also from the tip of the fleshy interior part. These look nothing like the strips and strings one normally associates with peeling a banana. I suppose they could be miraculously fine strips of banana peel, but why haven’t I seen such things before on previous bananas? I suspect they are mold rhizomes. But the flesh of the banana is a fresh color and still firm. Sorry I don’t have pictures. I don’t think I’ll eat it. But I’m still curious; can anyone shed any light on what I’m seeing here? Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/2 "2005-12-08T18:25:47Z")
yeah - my first guess is the same as yours - fungus mycelia. I’ll be waiting to see what the experts say. xo, C. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/3 "2005-12-08T18:42:39Z")
I have no idea what it is, but I’d just like to say that instead of replying “kiss my ass” the next time someone pisses me off, I’m gonna yell “diagnose my hairy banana”. That is, if I can keep a straight face 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/4 "2005-12-08T19:16:58Z")
I’m laughing too hard to even consider helping with this question. Not that I could, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/5 "2005-12-08T19:47:53Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > When I peeled it open a few miuntes ago, I saw something unusal. There are several (4-5) long, super-fine threads radiating off the open end of the banana! > The longest is about two inches long, the others somewhat less. When I say super-fine, I mean these things are markedly less substantial than a human hair. The closest thing I can compare them to is spider web. They are standing out straight, apparently held somewhat apart (by static electricity, perhaps?) WAG **Wild bannana hairs?** ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/6 "2005-12-08T21:03:13Z")
Are you sure you didn’t have that third martini for lunch? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/7 "2005-12-08T23:21:24Z")
[Steve Martin in **The Jerk** , solemnly repeating advice given to him] “…see a doctor and get rid of it.” [/SM] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/8 "2005-12-08T23:35:29Z")
Nothing to add other than a vote for Thread Title of the Month. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/9 "2005-12-09T00:30:13Z")
[http://www.hirsutebananas.com](http://www.hirsutebananas.com) ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/10 "2005-12-09T01:15:49Z")
which would be a great name for a rock band. ---
**Author:** ![UFOTurtle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@UFOTurtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFOTurtle)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/11 "2023-03-01T20:11:51Z")
Yo Sailboat, almost twenty years later, your question has been answered! You can now rest 🙂 > **[r/mycology - What is this “hair” protruding from a just-peeled banana](https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/11epvxi/what_is_this_hair_protruding_from_a_justpeeled/)** > > 1,717 votes and 350 comments so far on Reddit Let us know how you feel to have the mystery solved. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/12 "2023-03-01T22:04:36Z")
Welcome, @UFOTurtle ! It’s good to be remembered and appreciated, and hello to that young whippersnapper forum. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/13 "2023-03-02T16:42:11Z")
🤣 🤣 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/14 "2023-03-02T16:51:51Z")
I don’t know if this info is correct, but **PeppersHere** from that other (much livelier!) thread posted this: _"This is a mold from the genius type phycomyces. The long grey/silver colored fibers (which are called filamentous sporangiophores) give the mold information about things like lighting conditions, wind, and humidity, which the mold uses to determine when to drop its spores / where to allocate resources within the main mycelium (which is in the banana)._ _This kind of mold is very common as a primary colonizer on organic foods, and had been endearingly dubbed by the internet as ‘hairy poop mold’, due to the common location where people tend to first observe it (talking to you dog owners)._ _Hope this info helps :):_ ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/15 "2023-03-02T16:58:50Z")
I came to see a photo, and was nearly disappointed. Thank you, @UFOTurtle! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diagnose-my-hairy-banana/334679/16 "2023-03-02T17:00:37Z")
Cool! Thanks for posting, and for bumping this amusing thread.