324 



MONOCOTYLEDONES. 



have quadrilocular anthers ; ovary, 3-locular. Seed with straight 

 embryo in mealy perisperm. 



The best-known genus is Musa, the Banana (Fig. 314). From 

 the short rhizome arise enormously large, spirally-placed leaves, 

 whose sheaths envelope one another, and form an apparentlv aerial 



FIG. 314. Two Mttsa-species. 



stem, several metres in height. The inflorescence is a terminal 

 spike with floral-leaves placed spirally, and sometimes magnifi- 

 cently coloured ; in the axils of each of these several flowers are 

 situated in two transverse rows (accessory buds) ; the lowest 

 flowers in the inflorescence are $ , the central ones ty , the upper 



