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A M ■ A I C A. 363 





ASS XXIII. 



Of the Polygamic*, or Vegetables that have both herma- 

 phrodite and male or female Flowers on the fame 



ftems. 



E C T. 



Of fuch as have both male and female, with fome ufelefs farts of cilhe? 



ex y m every cup 



M 



f " 



USA 1. Spadice nut ant i, fruclu triquetro oblongo majori. 



Mufa fpadice nutanti. L. Sp. PI. & Mufa racemo fimplkijfimo. II. C. 

 Mufa caudice viridi y frutlu longiori falcato, Sec. Slo.Cat. 189. 

 Mufa Serapi. & feus Indica. Muf. & Thez. Zey. 

 Yagua. Mart. 417.' 



Bala. H. M. iii. r. 12, 13, 14. 



The Plantane Tree. 



This plant is cultivated with great care in all our fugar-colonies, where the fruit 

 fupplies the principal part of the fuftinence both by the negroes and poorer fort of 

 white people. It thrives beft in a cool, rich and moift foil; and is commonly planted 

 in regular walks or fields : it is propagated by the (hoots, and planted at convenient 

 diftances from each other ; but, as the root throws up a number of young layers every 

 year, the fpaCes between the firft plants are left pretty confiderable. The trunk or 

 Item of this tree is made up of a fmall fpungy heart, covered with the thick fibrous 



vaginae formed by the foot-ftalks of the Laves, infolding each other as they 







recede from the centre. But the heart, at length, moots above the foliage, and 

 throws out a large flower-fpike adorned with a great number of bloiToms joined in 

 cluffers, and incloied in their feveral fpatha, which are afterwards fucceeded by Co 

 many ciiftindl oblong berries. When thefe are ripe and fall, or are taken off, the 

 Item decays gradually, and the root begins to throw up young (hoot?, by which 

 the kind is again renewed : but led: the growth of thefj mould be retarded by the 

 exhalations of the old ftalk, it is ufually cut down near the root, when the fruit is 

 taken off, which gives a itronger and quicker growth to the new plants. 



The fruit is generally ufed, when full grown, but before it ripens : it is com- 

 monly peeled and roafted, and thus ferved at table, or diftributed among the ne- 

 groes, by whom it is moftly ufed ; tho' many of the whites do really prefer them to 

 any other bread-kind, efpecially while young and tender. The negroes generally 



boil them with other meffes, as lalt-fim, beef, pork, pickle, or crabs, &c. and find 

 them a hearty whoiefome food. As the fruit ripens, it becomes foft and 

 fweetim, and is then generally made into tarts; or fliced and fryed with butter, 



and thus ferved up in plates. 



The juice of the tree is a very rough aftringent; but its cooling leaves are gene- 

 rally ufed to drefs blifters, in thofe parts of the world: and, when dried, are made 

 into matts of different forts ; or frequently employed to fluff matreffes. 



MUSA 2. Spa dice nut ant i y fruclu breviori oblongo. 



Mufa caudice macula 7 'a, frutlu reBo, &c. Slo. Cat, 192. & 11, 



The Banana Tree, 



x 



This 



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