MUSA 



noco, Horse or Hog Banana, is probably very near the 

 typical form of tiiis species. It is very iiardy, ami mucli 

 grown in Gulf states: fr. 6-7 in. long, not gooil unless 

 ripened on the plant. The Fig Banana resembles var. 

 Champa, but small fruit purplish : dark Its. and stem 

 often blotched ivith black. Not hardy. 



Var. Troglodytanim, Il-rt. ^^. r., '.'-■•. , Lii;n. 



M. L-r<n,nsr,.,n.s. Rui,i|i|,. . - . !; ■ • , ' ■ 



Ivs. narniw-ul.luiiu' : I,i:m' _ - 



yellow or orange, rarely wiiii a Uh >,-,.l>. il.-^li .\ci1m«, 

 sweet and mawkish. India and I'acilic Isls., rarely 

 cult, in U. S. 



Var. Ddcca, Hort. (M. Dacca, Horan. M. paU'istris, 

 Hort.n. r>'.'"\ B\v\NA. Rather dwarf: stem glau- 

 cous: \y~ ' ''■ '.■■!', j-laucous beneath; petioles with 

 red niai „ ■ \ . i in. long by 2 in. wide, its tip 



and bav, _ _ . ilavor good; skin thick. — Tender, 



not go."l I-r . >.-! .lilt, ales. 



Var. Ch4mpa, Hurt. (.)/. Champa. Ylort. M.orientum, 

 Hort.). H.^kt's ('HoicE. Lady Finger, or Golden 

 Early Banana. Chimpa. Stem and midrib of leaf 

 tinged with red: fr. jiale straw-yellow, about 6 in. long; 

 skin very soft and thin: flesh luscious and delicate in 

 flavor, ripens quickly. Hardy in cool climates. Best of 

 all for growing in Florida. Much grown in W. Indies. 



Var. paradlsiaca, Hort. (J/, paradlsiaca, Linn.). 

 Plantain Hanana. Ccw.iking Banana. Adam's Fig. 

 Male tl^. III"!-'- jH r-i~T--iit : fr. 40-bO on a panicle, very 

 large, 7-1 1 in. Inn-, cylindrical, yellow, acutish; pulp 

 firm and 1.-- -a.rl,;u in.-, not very good unless cooked: 

 Ivs. 5-7 ft. an.l |i.ti<.!.- -J ft. Ion- India. R.H. 1888. p. 

 09. L.li.i . , :i.>4. -I nit. iv.iywhere in tropics, espe- 

 cially in Cul.a. .Mii-f ."iiinH i.ial Bananas are of this 

 variety. Tlie Jlariinjiiu.- ilanana is probably merely a 

 form with .--liylitly .smaller fruits (7-8 in. long). Im- 

 mense quantities grown in W. Indies and Cent. Amer. 

 Fine for shipping. 



Var. rtibra, Hort. (M. rfihra, Firming). Bakacoa 

 Banana. Red.Tamak-a Banana. Red Spanish B.^nana. 

 Stem, pi-tiuli-. tls. and iiiidrilMif l.-af ilnll la-cl : fr. lar!;(.,7-li 

 in. long .at lirst. .lark i-i'.l. lip.nini;- L. a v.-llowi^h ia.,1, ,if 



very g.. 

 formerl 

 Indies, 

 is one < 



1- purposes, although 

 iia is intermediate be- 

 golden yellow or red- 



tween tliis and \ar, ' !<■! >, 

 dish, 8-9 in. long, blunt. 



Var. vittata, Hook. Rather dwarf in habit 

 the long fruits copiously striped with white and often 

 also rose; spathes bright red inside. B.M. 5402. — Very 

 decorative. 



3. Ens^te, Gmel. Abyssinian Banana. Fig. 1436. 

 One of the largest species, very luxuriant : Ivs. ob- 

 long, acutish, bright green,up to J(l tt b\ ; tt jietiole 

 shoi t and broad; peduncle short, p 11 I i il 1 Im^e 

 bracts ovate, dark claiet l)rown _' m. 



long, 2 ranked, 20 or less m e i. 1 i ,p- 



shaped ; apex 3 lobed ; jietal sh.ni i i < i | I. ng- 

 linear: fr. coriaceous, dry, 2-3 in. lunt, se> N i-4. l.lack, 

 glossy, nearly 1 m. broad. Abyssmni. U.C. II. 15:4,!5; 

 21- 19; III. 16:696. Gn. 47, p. 5; 48. p. 40b. B.M. 5223. 

 K.H 1888, p. 32. V. 5:.53. F.E. 11:470. -Most commonly 

 cult, of all decorative Bananas, and probably the finest; 

 also most hard V of all cult forms, gro« ing freely during 

 the summer. Seeds germinate easih m hotbed. 



IS not in the 



G. seminif era. Lour The tvpiral fni 

 trade. Vn zehrina H.it i \r ,l,,,ini H.ntl Ner^ 

 similai I 1/ Hi \ . _. t iti\ . liiiHt.is but 



much - I I I nil i \ h , t\ ii sin UI, 



oblonu 1 1 i(,liM, ,11 \\i~i|,i _ripen- 



blotched or stii],f.d \Mtli bl.ick or daik puri>le above - 

 A very fine ornamental variety. 



7. Sumatrina, Becc. False stem 3 ft. high: Ivs. ob- 

 long, 5-G by 1J< ft., glaucous, blotched with claret-brown ; 

 petiole slender: peduncle hairy: panicle drooping, 1-1'^ 

 ft. long: male fls. deciduous: bracts short and rounded : 

 female clusters few, distant: calyx 1 in. long: fr. cylin- 



MUSCARI 1039 



drical, curved, 2-3 in. by }{ in., narrowed suddenly to a 

 slender stipe. Sumatra. I. H. 27:375. — Used for decora- 

 tive purposes. 



8. coccinea, Andr^. False stem slender, 4-5 ft. by 2-3 



in. : Ivs. small, oblong, 2-3 ft. by 6-9 in. ; petiole long and 



slender: panicle dense, erect, 6 in. long: female clusters 



f.-.\ : 1 I acts lani-e-oblong, bright red, tipped with yel- 



' \ vrll.,\v. 1 in. or more long: seeds very small, 



_, I M. 1\ i.ro.luced in cult. S.China. B.M. 1559. 



'.>. sanguinea, Hook. f. Falsi- stmi slmdi-r. 4-.' ft. 



bright red: calys 

 long-trigonous, 2 

 variegated with 

 tubercled. Assair 



, pale green, 

 small, black. 



than the fnnaio. i|. , . . : \ yillow, 1 in. long: 

 fr. oblong, ol.siuii I i .n. . ■ llowish green, 2-3 in. 

 long; pulp v.rv -.uniN ml lu.a-lv edible: seeds 2 

 lines in diani..black,tub.r.-li-.l, rare in cult. India. B.R. 

 9:706. L.B.C. 7:615.-Int. into California. 



1436. Musa Ensete. 



M. Fm. Yieill. (M. Seemanii. F. Muell.). 

 entum. Lvs. larger and firmer: fr. 5-6 in 1. 

 edible, seedy. Cult, in Europe. G. C II 

 Hort., differs from M. coccinea in its s 

 length of calyx). Cult, in Europe. B ^ 

 Eoxb. Similar to M. Ensft.- triuik oft, a 

 enee at base: panicle drnono, . , , tlm ' I 



of 3 loosely coherini; i i (I 



R H. 1877, p 277: Iss, , 

 Manila Hemp. St. ai 

 glaucous beneath, ohlon. i m , i i .i ], i 



ilile. filled with seeds Mubt miportuut ot coi.Uige plants, 

 iimense quantities exported from the Philippines. Int. by 

 ■ Pomology, U. S. Dept. of Agric , in 1SS9, but no longer 

 K. M. Wiegand. 





MUSCAEI (Latin name referring to the musky odor 

 f -I/. iit.K-<ri,iiiiim }. lyiliaeeie. Gkape Hyacinths are 

 hari}iin-, liar.lv, spring-blooming bulbs (see Fig. 1439). 

 'hey are .somethiug like a hyacinth, but the clusters are 

 mailer, and the individual fls. are smaller and of differ- 

 nt shape. The fls. are more or less urn-shaped, con- 

 tricted at the mouth and have 6 small teeth instead of 



