The common evolutionary history of badnaviruses and banana.

•The diversity of interactions in badnaviruses infecting banana have resulted in specific processes of co-evolution.•Banana badnaviruses are polyphyletic suggesting banana as a possible host plant of the badnavirus ancestor.•We propose a model tracing the co-evolution of both badnaviruses and banana.•The model sheds light on 3 distinct virus–host interactions on the banana evolution scale.