2078 



MUSA 



MUSA 



AA. Sts. cylindrical; usually stoloniferous: male fls. many 



to a bract: fr. usually edible. (Subgenus Eumusa) . 



B. Fls. rose-red. 



10. Martinii, Hort. Similar in habit to M. para- 

 disiaca: Ivs. oblong, long-petioled, firm in texture, 

 bright green above, glaucous beneath with reddish 

 veins: fls. bright rose-red: fr. small, yellowish. Intro, 

 from Orotana Botanical Garden, Teneriffe, in 1893. 

 R.B. 18, p. 107. A good foliage plant for exposed places. 



BB. Fls. yellowish white. 

 c. Sts. short (1-6 ft.): petioles short. 



11. Cavendishii, Lamb. (M. chinensis, Sweet. M. 

 sinensis, Sagot. M. humilis, Perr.?). CHINESE DWARF 

 BANANA. DWARF JAMAICA. Whole plant 46 ft. high, 

 stoloniferous: st. 2-3 ft. high: Ivs. 6-8 in a dense 

 rosette, spreading, oblong, 2-3 ft. long, 1 ft. wide, 

 rounded at base, glaucous; petiole short, stout, deeply 

 grooved; blades when young spotted and blotched with 

 red: spike dense, short, drooping; bracts red-brown or 

 dark, lower 6 in. long, upper 3-4 in. long; male fls. and 

 their bracts persistent ; calyx yellowish white, 1 in. long 

 with 5 obtuse lobes; free petals about Min. long: fr. as 

 many as 200-250 in a bunch, oblong, 6-angled, slightly 

 curved, 45 in. long, 1J^ in. or more diam., obtuse, 

 gradually narrowed to the sessile base, seedless, edible; 

 skin rather thick; flesh delicately fragrant. S. China. 

 Intro, from Mauritius in 1827. P.M. 3:51. Gn. 32, p. 

 243; 40, p. 263; 44, p. 496; 50, p. 161. G.C. III. 22:167. 

 Stands more cold than most bananas, and its dwarf 

 growth readily allows for protection. Good for ship- 

 ping and may be planted N. Extensively grown along 

 the coast of the southern states and in the W. Indies. 



cc. Sts. tall (over 6 ft.): petioles long. 

 D. Spikes erect or suberect. 



12. Fehi, Vieill. (M. Fei, Nadeaud. M. Seemanii, 

 F. Muell. M. Uranoscdpos, Seem. M. troglodytarum, S. 

 Kurz., not Lour.). Stoloniferous: st. 15-20 ft. high, 

 full of violet juice: Ivs. larger and firmer in texture than 

 M. paradisiaca, with stouter veins; base unequally 

 rounded; petiole 1-1 ^ ft. long: spike long, erect, 

 slightly curved at the base; fls. 6-8 in a cluster, sessile; 

 calyx with 5 unequal lobes, finally splitting nearly to 

 the base: free petal short: fr. many in a bunch, oblong, 

 angled, 5-6 in long, 1 in. or more diam., nearly straight, 

 yellow when ripe, skin thick; pulp moderately firm; 

 seeds small, dull black. Tahiti and New Caledonia. 

 Seedless at low levels but bearing seeds at elevations 

 of 3,000-3,600 ft. G.C. III. 8:182. Cult, in Eu. 

 Fruits not very palatable when raw but excellent when 

 cooked. 



DD. Spikes drooping. 

 E. Outer calyx-lobes with horn-like hooks. 



13. textilis, Nee (M. mindanensis, Rumph. M. sil- 

 vestris, Colla. M. troglodytarum textoria, Blanco. M. 

 Abacd, Perr.). ABACA. MANILA HEMP. Whole plant 

 13-22 ft. high, stoloniferous: Ivs. oblong, deltoid at 

 base, bright green above, glaucous beneath, often with 

 large brown spots; petiole 1 ft. or more long: spike 

 drooping, shorter than Ivs.; male fls. deciduous; calyx 

 5-lobed, about 1> in. long, the outer lobes with a 

 curved, threadlike horn near the apex: fr. obscurely 

 3-angled, curved, 2-3 in. long, 1 in. diam., not edible, 

 filled with seed; seeds black, turbinate, J^in. diam., 

 angled by pressure. Philippine Isls. Furnishes one 

 of the most valuable fibers known for the manufacture 

 of rope. Cf. p. 171, Vol. I; also Cyclo. Amer. Agric., 

 Vol. II, p. 286. Much grown in the Philippines. 



Var. amboinensis, Miq. (M. amboinensis, Humph.). 

 Not so tall and spike not so drooping: fr. about 3 in. 

 long, black at maturity. Amboina. Cult, in the 

 Philippine Isls. and used in the manufacture of Manila 

 hemp. 



EE. Outer calyx-lobes without horn-like hooks. 

 F. Free petal nearly as long as the calyx. 



14. Basjoo, Sieb. & Zucc. (M. japonica, Hort.). 

 JAPANESE BANANA. Whole plant 12-18 ft. high, stolonif- 

 erous: st. 6-9 ft. high, 6-8 in. diam.: Ivs. oblong, thin 

 bright green, 6-9 ft. long, 13/2-2^ ft. broad, deltoid 

 at base; petiole stout, about 1 ft. long: spike dense, 

 1^2 ft. long; female clusters 3^, close, 12-15 fls. each; 

 bracts oblong, dull brown, lower 8-12 in. long; male 

 clusters 8-12, their bracts much imbricated, persistent; 

 calyx whitish, 2 in. long, shortly 5-toothed at apex: fr. 

 30-60, oblong, pointed, 3-angled, 3 in. long, narrowed 

 to a sessile base; seeds few. Liu Kiu Archipelago. 

 B.M. 7182. R.B. 22, p. 152. R.H. 1896, p. 203. G.M. 

 54 : 376. Cult, in Japan for fiber. Decorative and hardy 

 as M . Ensete. 



FF. Free petal half the length of the calyx. 



15. paradisiaca, Linn. PLANTAIN. COOKING BANANA. 

 ADAM'S FIG. Whole plant 20-30 ft. high, stoloniferous: 

 st. 20-25 ft. high: Ivs. oblong, thin, bright green, 5-8 

 ft. long, lJ^-2 ft. wide, usually rounded at base; petiole 

 1-1 Yi ft. long: calyx drooping, often 4-5 ft. long; 

 bracts mostly persistent, lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 

 late, dull violet, more or less glaucous outside, the lower 

 1-1^2 ft. long, the upper J^ft. long, often red inside, 

 several expanded at once, the edges of the upper not 

 involute; male fls. mostly persistent; fls. about a dozen 

 to a cluster, yellowish white, 1J^ in. long; calyx 5- 

 toothed at the top; free petal oval, half as long as the 

 calyx: fr. cylindrical, Y<Z-\ ft. long, usually yellow or 

 yellowish green when ripe, 40-80 in a bunch, flesh firm, 

 not so sweet as the banana. Native of India. R.H. 

 1888, p. 69. L.B.C. 7:684. Redoute, Liliacea;, 443, 444. 

 Universally cult, in the tropics, especially in the W. 

 Indies and Cent. Amer. Not suitable to eat without 

 cooking. 



Subsp. (I) sapientum, Kuntze (M. sapientum, 

 Linn.). COMMON BANANA. Male fls. deciduous: fr. 

 yellow, somewhat 3-angled, 3-8 in. long, 1^-2 in. 

 diam. India. Trew, Plantae Selectae, 21-23. Rheed, 

 Hortus Malabaricus 1 : 12-14. Most of the com- 

 mercial bananas are obtained from the numerous 

 varieties of this subspecies. 



a. Fr. with thin skin. (Subsp. sapientum.) 

 Var. (a) Champa, Baker (M. Chdmpa, Hort. M. 

 orientum, Hort.). HART'S CHOICE. LADY FINGER, or 

 GOLDEN EARLY BANANA. CHTJMPA. St. and midrib of 

 If. tinged with red: fr. pale straw-color, about 6 in. 

 long; skin soft and thin; flesh luscious, delicate in flavor, 

 ripening quickly. Hardy in cool climates. Best of all 

 for growing in Fla. Much grown in the W. Indies. 



Var. (b) rftbra, Baker (M . riibra, Firming, not Wall.). 

 BARACOA, RED JAMAICA, or RED SPANISH BANANA. St., 

 petiole, fls. and midrib of If. dull red: fr. at first dark 

 red, ripening to yellowish red. This is the red banana 

 of commerce formerly imported in large quantities 

 from the W. Indies. Fine for decorative purposes but 

 tender. G.C. III. 29:335. R.H. 1905:68 The golden 

 banana with fr. golden yellow or reddish, 8-9 in. long 

 and blunt, is intermediate between this and var. 

 Champa. 



Var. (c) cinerea, Blanco. LETONDAL or CHOTDA 

 BANANA. Fr. short, whitish, not angled, thin-skinned: 

 flesh somewhat grayish; delicious; skin splitting and 

 turning back at maturity; perfect seed frequently 

 found. Intro, from India by a French priest named 

 Letondal. Cult, in the Philippine Islands and Guam. 



aa. Fr. with thick skin. (Subsp. sapientum.) 



Var. (d) Dacca, Baker (M. Dacca, Horan. M . palus- 

 tris, Hort.). DACCA BANANA. St. pruinose: Ivs. paler 

 green than in the subspecies, glaucous beneath; border 

 of the petiole red: fr. yellow, 4 in. long, 2 in. diam., tip 



