COOK AND COLLINS—ECONOMIC PLANTS OF PORTO RICO, 197 
of the objectionable taste and mealy texture. The better variety is cultivated in 
Liberia, and even when ripe has a greenish rather than a yellow color. The skin 
is rather thin, there is no astringency, and the compact and yet delicate creamy 
texture and delicious flavor render the inferiority of our ordinary imported fruit 
distastefully evident to all who have the opportunity of comparison. The dwarf 
banana tree reaches a height of only 6 or 8 feet (2 or 2.5 meters), and the enormous 
bunches reach nearly to the ground and weigh in the neighborhood of 100 pounds. 
The individual bananas are of medium size and rather slender in comparison with 
those known in our markets. 
Botanical knowledge of the banana,—It might naturally be expected that the 
botany of so important a plant as the banana would be in an advanced state of 
completeness; but quite the contrary is true, owing to the fact that economic 
plants are generally neglected by botanical students and collectors, especially 
when, asin the present instance, specimens are very difficult to preserve. No part 
of the banana plant is adapted to ordinary herbarium treatment, neither the enor- 
mous leaves nor the succulent flowers and fruits. 
It is accordingly quite impossible to tell from books whether the superior African 
variety mentioned above is known in other parts of the world. In Porto Rico the 
names ‘‘congos”’ and ** guineos’ are applied to several varieties of banana, and 
there are also traditions that, like the cattle and Guinea grass, they were intro- 
duced from the Dark Continent. We had no personal opportunities of testing the 
variety called **enano,”’ or ** dwarf.” which may prove to be the same as the 
African sort, though it is much more likely to have been derived from Canary 
Island stock. Bananas are not native in America, but several wild species with 
seeds are known in British India and the Malay region, where there are also large 
numbers of cultivated varieties, very few of which have been introduced into any 
part of tropical America. It would seem that the country which makes by far the 
largest banana trade in the world should enjoy the advantage of the best that 
could be afforded in the way of this now popular fruit, and that Porto Rico might 
realize brilliant results from the culture of high-grade varieties. 
Porto Rican varicties.—Hundreds of varieties are known to exist in the East 
Indies, particularly in the Malay Archipelago and in the Philippines, but these 
are so confused and so poorly described that it is impossible to tell which of them 
has been introduced into Porto Rico, and even between the different West Indian 
islands the identity of varieties can not be asserted with confidence, even when 
they bear the same name, As an illustration of the confusion which may exist, 
even on the same island, our notes on Porto Rican varieties may serve a salutary 
purpose. 
In addition to what was obtained from other sources, we had the advantage of 
the information gathered hy two gentlemen who had given the subject consider- 
able attention—Captain Hansard, of San Juan, formerly resident in the Luquillo 
region, and Mr. Mead. of Ponce and Pefiuelas. The following alphabetical list of 
names, while probably incomplete and perhaps erroneous, may serve as a begin- 
ning in the collection of more complete information: 
PORTO RICAN VARIETIES OF BANANAS. 
Amarillo.—A name applied to the large plantain (platano), especially when 
sliced and fried. (Ponce. ) 
Bulico.—See Horse plantain. (Ponce. ) 
Cambur.—A name given by Hill; not known to Captain Hansard. In Vene- 
zuela it seems to be a generic term for the bananas, as distinguished from the 
plantains. 
Chinese.—See Divary. 
Colorado.—See Morado colorado, 
Commissario.—A name for plantains; thought to be the same as mafafo, or 
horse plantain, 
