412 The Philippine Journal of Science 1915 
one side, 5-toothed at the apex, the lobes finally decurved. Scale 
not very thin, with scarious margin, ovate, usually about half as 
long as the perigonium, the color is generally white, the tip is 
acute and slightly shouldered, some are entire. Flowers beyond 
4 to 10 basal fascicles, sterile, the sterile deciduous flowers 
maturing gradually, the basal at about the same time as the 
basal fertile flowers. The stamens of the terminal flowers are 
not at all aborted or sterile. The perfect stamens are shorter 
than the pistil, the filaments are usually shorter than the anthers. 
The stigma is shortly lobed. 
The fruits are oblong, elongate, 4- or 5-angled, and often slight- 
ly curved, from 14 to 16 cm long, from 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter 
forming 7 hands in a bunch, with from 14 to 23 fruits in a hand. 
The hands on the rachis are closely packed together at an angle 
of about 45 degrees. The fruits are thick skinned and are nar- 
rowed gradually toward the sessile base. The flesh is delicate 
with a strong agreeable flavor. The pulp is white when ripe. 
The fruit is seedless and somewhat greenish when mature. 
MUSA CAVENDISHI!I Lamb. var. PUMILA (Blanco). 
Musa paradisiaca pumila Blanco. 
Blanco’s description of this variety is translated as follows :* 
Fruit is like that of the bufgulan, which I will describe later, but not with 
savory taste; the stem is very small, and the racemes reach the ground. 
The natives call it tampohin, or fretful, because if they cut its leaves it 
dies. 
T., tampohin. 
MUSA PARADISIACA L. 
Schumann considers sapientum a subspecies of paradisiaca, 
while Baker considers paradisiaca a variety of sapientum. Un- 
der the circumstances they may well remain separate until com- 
plete varietal studies can be made. 
Baker’s description of paradisiaca is as follows:** 
*Var. M. paradisiaca, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1477; Trew, Ehret. t. 18-20. 
Male flowers and bracts less deciduous. Fruit cylindrical, 4-1 foot long, 
generally yellow or yellowish green when ripe with firmer and less 
saccharine pulp, not fit to eat without cooking. Common plantain. Culti- 
vated universally in the tropical zone. 
On page 26-27 of this same work he further discusses the 
plantain as follows: 
“Fl. Filip. ed. 2 (1845) 171. 
* Kew Bull., Add ser. VI pt. 2 (1906) 22. 
