396 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 



and has no flowers, below are the staminate flowers 

 consisting of two or more stamens, or the ovary flowers 

 of one-celled ovaries ; neither have any perianth. 



MUSE^E 



MUSA SAPIENTUM, L. the Plantain and Banana. 



This plant is a herb, larger than many shrubs and 

 even some small trees, but still a herb, for there is 

 no woody stem. There is indeed no true stem at all 

 above the ground, for what appears to be such is 

 only the bases of the leaves tightly rolled round each 

 other. There is a short slightly swollen root-stock, 

 which buds out at the sides, and the usual method of 

 propagating is by planting these offshoots. The leaves 

 are very large, quite the largest of any plants except 

 palms, and have large sheathing bases (referred to 

 above as forming the apparent stem) and broad blades 

 which in bud are rolled up from one side. The blade 

 is traversed by a stout midrib from which numerous 

 slender veins run straight to the edge. The most 

 casual observation will show that in this respect the 

 leaves of the plantain are very different from those of 

 the dicotyledons flowering plants, such as we studied 

 earlier on (see also under Palms, p. 392). There is no 

 marginal vein running round just inside the edge as 

 in many plants, e.g. the Peepul, and one effect of this 

 is that the leaf is very readily torn by the wind. The 

 surface of the leaf is very smooth and shiny. There 

 are no hairs in it, neither above nor below. 



Flowers in a double row, in the axils of the large 

 bracts ; those of the lower bracts with ovaries only, 



