.S2H USEFUL PLANTS OK GUAM. 



Mostaza. See liriisaii-n jmifCfi. 



Mucuna gigantea. Same as Slizolohiinii (/l(/iiiilnivi. 



Mucuna pruriens. Sainc as Sllio/iihiinn jinirlcns. 



Mudu-murunga (('cyloii). See Sujilim-d lniiii'iitdKn. 



Mugwort. Sec ArlnniKin riil(/<(r!s. 



Mulberry, Indian. Sec MmliKhi (■ilrifnliii. 



Miiniutun ((iiiaiii). 



A <rciH'i'al naiiic in llic island vcriKirulaf I'nr iank-u:ro\vinir woi'ds. f'ltssin lin-ii \>i 

 cailcil iiiuiiiiidiii |>alaiiHii ( iViiialc wci'd ) nr uiniiiiitiiii atlan.clon. Tliciiaiiic iiiiiiinitiiii 

 cliiva (jioat weed) is applied t() a inw, .^inail-Hnwcri'd (•(iiii]>ositc; iiiuimitun lalic 

 (male weed) to an ill-smeiiiiig hispid, hlue-llowered labiatt', with cordate leaves; and 

 niunmtun sable (sword weed) to CasHia occidental ix. 



Mung- ( India). See J'fuiseolus nnnifjo. 



Munggo (Philii)pines). See J'haseolus nnnif/d. 



Musa jDaradisiaca. I^i.axtaix. Banana. Pi.atk xxii. 



Family ]\Iusaceae. 



Local na.mks. — ("liotda ((iuam, for the j)lant and givt-n I'rnitj; Aga ((Jnam, for 

 tiie ripe frnit) ; Platano (Spanish); Sagning, Pisang (Philippines); Fa'i 

 (Samoa). 



Bananas were growing in (inam l)efore the discovery of the island by JNIagellan. 

 I'igafetta des(!ribes them in his narrative as " figs a ])alm long."" Usnally the nimier- 

 ons varieties are grouped under two heads. Tliose of smaller size, which are sweet 

 and which may be eaten raw, are called bananas and have often been considered a 

 distinct si)ecies, Mt(S(i Hapindnm; the larger ones, which are less sweet and nujre 

 starchy, and which must be cooked before they are fit to eat, are called i)lantains, 

 and are considered by some to constitute the species Musa2Mradisi(ii-a. At least eleven 

 varieties are recognized in (inam, some of which were undoubtedly introduced after 

 the discovery. Schumann, in his monograph, regards M. .y'^y«c/*/«Hi as a subspecies 

 of M. 2Mradivar(i. '' 



Among the varieties noticed by (iaudichaud were chotdan ' patgon, a small banana 

 of fine flavor; chotdan lago ("foreign banana"); chotdan tonduke, a giant plantain, 

 probalily introduced from the Philippines, where it bears the name of "tondtjk," 

 having few fruits on a raceme, but these of great size, and having also a strong fiber 

 which is ust'd for cordage and for weaving into fabrics; and three forms of aga, as 

 the ripe fruit is called: Aga Sumay (a variety cultivated lirst in the village of that 

 name), agfi mahalang, and aga langiii. In the last edition of Blanco's Flora F'ilipina 

 the large jjlantain called tondok is called Mnsa curiiicnliiln iiKigiid. Its fruit is often 

 more than a foot long and when cooked has a fine apple-like flavor. 



llananas are easily jiropagated l)y suckers, which spring up from the base of the 

 old plant when the fruit begins to ripen. When two or three bananas at the top of 

 the liuncli turn yellow the bunidi should be cut off and hung uj) by a string in the 

 house, when the rest will gradually rijjen. Only one bunch is borne by a plant; but 

 as suckers spring up from the underground rootstalk, the life of the banana may be 

 said to be continuous. In (Tuam bananas grow almost spontaneously. Jn Plate 

 XXII is sliiiwn a iilantation of them along the road leading from Agana to the i)ort. 



The fruit may be jjrepan^d for exj)ortation either by cutting it into strips or slici's 

 and dryiuLi it. iir l)y making it into Hour. In the lirst < ase ripe bananas are used. 



" Primo Viaggio intorno, ISIH). 

 '^Mono-iap.'i'.Musaccae, p. 20, IS.OO. 



<'Tli<' letter // appeixU'd Id the ueui-ric term chotda, takes the place ol" the ligature 

 ' in the langua'je of ( iunni. In the fame way the termination ikj is used in i'liili])- 

 pine dialei-ts in jilacc cf liie ligature u.^n. Sc e ]i. I H. 



IK 



