Starch was isolated from green Cavendish bananas after sodium hydroxide treatment, and its physical properties as they affected its potential acceptance as a food ingredient were measured and compared with those of corn, waxy corn, waxy corn diphosphate, acetylated waxy corn diphosphate, potato, and tapioca starches. Banana starch granules had a moisture content of 15.5%, an amylose content of 19.5% on a dry weight basis, and were highly irregular in shape and size, with the mode of characteristic length falling at 15 μm. The gelatinization range was 70.1 °C to 74.6 °C. Scanning electron micrography showed that in water the granules underwent surface cracking at 65 °C and progressively greater swelling, deformation, and erosion between 70 °C and 90 °C. At 95 °C, 6% banana starch paste in a Brabender Amylograph had a viscosity four times that of corn starch paste of the same concentration, and viscosity decreased rather slowly with stirring. The paste was somewhat longer than that of corn starch, but appreciably shorter than tapioca starch paste. Gelled banana starch was nearly as strong as corn starch, and also was nearly as opaque and reflective.