THE WILD PLANTAIN (MUSA SUPERBA, ROXB.). 687 



It is in the Bassein vegetable gardens that most of the fruit of the 

 red and yellow and green varieties of plantains which are sold in the 

 Bombay Bazaars are so extensively cultivated, and while their utility is 

 well known, few are aware of what economic value the wild plantain is 

 to the wild tribss in the Thana District. It is not the fruit however in 

 this instance which is of edible value and so much prized although the 

 latter is eaten to some extent by the people and also as a vegetable when 

 unripe. The portion which is so eagerly sought after and which in 

 ordinary as wall as famine years is eaten so extensively is the base of the 

 subarborescent stem consisting of the sheathing leaf-stalks and their 

 subterranean root-stock.* 



The latter is not stoloniferous, i.e., new shoots are not thrown up from 

 it annually as is the case with the cultivated species Musa sapientum.f 



The plant is familiarly known by the wild tribes as " Kawdur : " the 

 more intelligent classes call it " Chaveni " and also " Rankel. " Two 

 Varieties are found, one which grows to the height of about 7 feet and the 

 other to the height of about 3 or 4 feet. 



In the Bassein Taluka the large variety is known as " Sonkel " and 

 the small variety as " Masrikel." Near Kharbaoon the Bassein creek the 

 people give the name of " Dulikel " to the variety which flowers early 

 and " Gndvikel "to the variety which flowers late. In parts of Central 

 Thana the plants are called " Dharna " and " Ghandvalia " respectively. 

 In the Dahanu Taluka, North Thana Forest Division, the names are 

 " Kowdar," " Chawa " and " Chawaee." 



Both varieties may be seen all over the Thana District, being perhaps 

 more abundant in the Mokhada direction, a tract of countrv which forms 

 the western projection of the Ghats, at about 1,800 ft. than elsewhere. 

 On the Ghats themselves and between Karjat and the Reversing Station, 

 near Khandalla especially, the plant may be seen from the railway train, 

 and it is particularly noticeable in the rains about August or September 

 when in full leaf. 



An excellent illustration of one of these plants grown in Mr. M. R. 

 Jardine's garden on Malabar HiU, Bombay, is shown in the accomppnv- 

 ing plate which is from a photograph taken by Mr. N. C. Maclecd. 



* Wild pig are very fond of the root-stock also. They burrow underground to 

 attack it. 



f I found ons instance in the Mahim Taluka of a wild plantain bearing a stoloni- 

 ferous? root. 



