The difference between Oritos, Bananas, and Platanos

Bananas and plantains, as you know, are very prevalent in Costa Rica. I see oritos, bananas, or plantains at least once a day here. Oritos (cooking bananas) are the smallest which average a little less than 15cm. Bananas (aka dessert bananas)are about 20cm. Plantains (unripe plantains) average less than 25cm. The only difference between these items is the amount of starch content. Those with lots of starch are the cooking bananas and unripe plantains and those with very low starch content which are the tasty dessert bananas. Starch is converted to sugar as the fruit ripens. Oritos could be cooked in any way but does not necessarily have to, but plantains must be boiled, steamed, roasted, or deep fried to make it soft and palatable. Plantains are often green or red skinned, and originated from the Spanish word ‘platano.’
The word "banana" originated in coastal West Africa, and was adopted in the New World for the sweet forms with yellow skin. The banana “tree” (which is not really a tree but a tree-like perennial herb) grows in the humid tropics like a grass. It becomes a tree within a year. Banana is a monoecious plant. Monoecious means having both male and female organs. It has male flowers at the tip and female flowers behind.
So now that I know a little bit more about bananas, I now understand why they are so popular here. Obviously the climate has a lot to do with them growing here so easily and that they can be prepared in many different ways. The typical dish in CR consists of white rice, black beans, fried plantains, and some type of meat. I’ve also noticed that most of the bananas here are brown. My guess is that because many countries import their bananas from CR, CR sends these countries the ripe bananas so that they don’t go bad before they reach there. I guess we’ll have to wait and see until we visit the banana plantations.