I bought a banana tree in August of 2021 and never thought it would actually fruit. I was walking by it the other night and saw something purple/maroon out of the corner of my eye. Popped my head between some leaves and was greeted by some baby bananas!
Yep, woodies are a totally different ball game. If you want a real obvious difference, trees are perennial. Bananas cultivated for their fruit only live for roughly a year and then they die right back to the rhizome and start their growth cycle again. Trees will remain alive above ground after fruiting and overwintering.