207S 



MISA 



MUSA 



AA. Sis. cylindrical; usuaJly stohnifcroiis: male fts. many 



to a broct: fr. uguaily r^ibk. (t>uhgcnus Euitiusa). 



H. Fts. rose-red. 



10. Mfirtinii, Hurt. Similar in habit to M. [xira- 

 disiaca: Ivs. oblong, long-petioloti, firm in text arc, 

 bright gn>cu above, plaueous beneath with reddish 

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

 from Orotana Botanieal tiarden, TeneritTe, in 1893. 

 R.B. IS, p. 107. — A good foliage plant forexposed places. 



BB. Fls. yellowish white. 

 c. Sis. short {1-6 ft.): pelioU'^ short. 



11. Cfivendishii, Lamb. {M. chininsis, Sweet. M. 

 sinensis. Sagot. M. hiiiiiUis, Perr.?). Chinese Dwahk 

 B.\N.\NA. Dw.^RF ,I.\M.UCA. Whole plant 4-G ft. high, 

 stoloniferous: st. 2-3 ft. high: Ivs. ti-8 in a den.sc 

 rosette, spre.ading, oblong, 2-3 ft. long, 1 ft. wide, 

 roundeil at base, glaiieous; petiole short, stout, deeply 

 grooved; blades when young spotted and blotched with 

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

 dark, lower 6 in. long, upper '.i~l in. long; male fls. and 

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

 with 5 obtuse lobes; free petals about ' oi". long: fr. as 

 m.any as 200-2.")0 in a bunch, oblong, t3-angled, slightly 

 cun-ed, 4-5 in. long, 1'2 in. or more diam., obtuse, 

 gradually narrowed to the sessile b;use, seedless, edible; 

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

 Intro, from Mauritius in 1S27. P.M. 3;.51. On. :J2, p. 

 243; 40, p. 263; 44, p. 496; .50, p. UU. G.C. III. 22:Ui7. 

 — Stands more cold than most banana.s, and its dwarf 

 growth readily allows for protection. Good for ship- 

 ping and may be iilanted N. Extensively grown along 

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



cc. Sis. tall {over 6 ft): petioles long. 

 D. Spikes erect or suberecl. 



12. Fehi, ^'ieill. (.1/. FH, Nadeaud. M. Sehnanii, 

 F. Muell. M. Vranoscdpos, Seem. M. iroglodyU'irum, S. 

 Kurz., not Lour.). Stoloniferous: st. 1.5-20 ft. high, 

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

 M. pararli.'iiaea, with stouter veins; ba.se vniequally 

 rounded; petiole 1-1 H ft. long: sj)ike long, erect, 

 sUghtly curved at the base; fls. 6-.S in a cluster, ses.sile; 

 calyx with .5 unequal lobes, finally splitting nearly t(5 

 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. (J.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. teztilis, N6e (.V/. mindanensis, Ruraph. M. sil- 

 veslris, Colla. M. IroglodyU'irum lextbria, Blanco. M . 

 Abacd, Perr.). Abaca. Manila Hemp. Whole plant 

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

 ba-sc, bright green above, glaucous beneath, often with 

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

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

 5-lobe/l, about IJ^ in. long, the outer lobes with a 

 curved, threa'llike horn near the apex: fr. obscurely 

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

 filled with seed; seeds black, turbinate, Ji-in. diam., 

 angled by pres.sure. Philippine Isls. — Furnishes one 

 of the most valuable fiVjers kiiov\'n for the mamifacture 

 of rope. Of. p. 171, Vol. I; also Cydo. Amer. Agric, 

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



Var. amboinensis, Miq. (.M. amfxnnensis, 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. 



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

 F. Free petal nearly as long as the calyx. 



14. Basjod, Sieb. & Zucc. {M. japdnica, Hort.). 

 .Japanese Banana. Whole ])lant 12-18 ft. high, stolonif- 

 erous: st. (M) ft. high, 6-8 in. diam.: Ivs. oblong, thin 

 bright green, ()-9 ft. long, 1 J 2-2) 2 ft. broad, deltoid 

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

 1'2 ft- long; female clusters 3-4, close, 12-15 fls. each; 

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

 clusters 8 12, tiieir bra(^ts 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 bji-se; seeds few. I..iu Kivi Archipelago. 

 B.M.7182. H.B. 22, p. 1.52. R.H. 1896, p. 203. CM. 

 .54 : 376. — Cult . in .lai^an for fiber. Decorative and hardy 

 ;is M. Ensete. 



rv. Free petal half the length of the calyx. 



15. paradisiaca, Linn. Plantain. C5oking Banana. 

 Adam's Fic. Whole plant 20-30 ft. high, stoloniferous: 

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

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

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

 bracts mostly i)ersistent, lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 

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

 1-13^2 ft. long, the ui)per 'oft- long, often red inside, 

 several expande<l at once, the edges of the upper not 

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

 to a cluster, yellowish white, 13^ in. long; calyx .5- 

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

 calyx: fr. cylindrical, '2-1 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. Redout6, 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. sapienlum, 

 Linn.). Common Banana. Male fls. deciduous: fr. 

 yellow, somewhat 3-angled, 3-8 in. long, 13''2-2 in. 

 diam. India. Trew, PlantiE Selectie, 21-23. Rheed, 

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

 mercial banana.s .are obtained from the numerous 

 varieties of this subspecies. 



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

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

 orientum, Hort.). Hart'.s Choice. Lady Finger, or 

 Golden Early Banana. Chumpa. 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) ribra, Baker (M. riihra, Firming, not Wall.). 

 Baraooa, Red Jamaica, or Red Spanish Banana. St., 

 petiole, fls. and mi<lrib of If. dull red: fr. at first dark 

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

 i){ 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. unlh thick skin. (Sub.sp. sapientum.) 



Var. fd) Dacca, Baker {M. Ddeea, Horan. Af. pah'is- 

 Iris, Hort.). Dacca Banana. St, pruinose: Ivs. p.aler 

 green than in the subspecies, ghuu'ous beneath; border 

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



