1038 



MUSA 



MUSA 



ture in the tropical forests of the Old World, where 

 alone it is native. Characterized by the elliptical pin- 

 nately-parallel-veined Ivs. with the sheathing petioles 

 forming a false stem-like structure: fls. unisexual, in 

 clusters, each cluster subtended by a large, colored bract, 

 and all arranged in a dense terminal panicle borne on a 

 stalk rising through the center of the false stem; peri- 

 anth of 6 parts, 5 of which are united in 1 piece, desig- 

 nated below for convenience as calyx, and 1 free, here 

 termed the petal ; perfect stamens 5 : ovary inferior, 

 ,3-celled, many-seeded : fr. large, more or less elongated, 

 indehiscent, pulpy or dry. Plants of great importance 

 in the tropics, where the fruit is used for food. Bananas 

 are imported into the U. S. in great quantities from 

 Cuba and Central America, and are also grown in the 

 Gulf states (see Banana}. Several species are grown 

 extensively in the North solely for decorative purposes. 

 Latest monograph of the genus by Baker, Annals of 

 Botany 7:205 (1893). K. M.WiEGAND. 



The principal species grown for its fiber is Musa tex- 

 tilis. Its cultivation is confined almost entirely to the 

 Philippine Islands, where it is grown in immense dense 

 groves. The product of this fiber Banana is known in 

 commerce as Manila hemp. This species is a very tall- 

 growing one, reaching a height of 20 or more feet. It 

 produces an inedible fruit filled with seeds, from which 

 it is readily propagated. It is little known in this 

 country. 



As decorative plants in landscape gardening few sub- 

 jects equal the choicer species of Bananas. The immense 

 leaves arching out gracefully from the top of the " stalk," 

 which is in reality a bundle of long leaf-stems so closely 

 united as to form, for practical purposes, a real stem, 

 give an effect of tropical luxuriance. As they are of 

 really easy growth, their cultivation , in temperate cli- 

 mates is on the increase. The smaller species, some of 

 them with mottled or variegated foliage, are most useful 

 lor bedding purposes on a small scale. 



Young plants may be obtained from nursery or florist 

 firms in the spring or early summer and kept growing 

 in pots in the conservatory or house until settled warm 

 weather permits open-air planting. They should then be 

 given considerable space in a well-enriched bed, having 

 a situation sheltered from the prevailing winds and 

 where water can be applied during dry weather. The 

 Banana is impatient of shade, doing its best in strong 

 sunshine. Heavy winds tear the large leaves, and hence 

 a sheltered location is best for preserving the beauty of 

 the foliage. By autumn the plant will be large, and if 

 desired to carry it on to fruiting, it should be carefully 

 lifted into good soil in a large tub for growth under glass 

 during winter. By the following summer it should be of 

 sufficient age and size to bloom and fruit in the open 

 ground. The plants may be stored in a light, frost-proof 

 cellar during the winter, but by this means the foliage 

 will be lost and the plant suffer a severe check. When 

 it is desired merely to have their foliage for ornamental 

 purposes, and fruiting the plant is not specially desired, 

 the heavy tuberous roots may be deprived of tops and 

 stored in dry sand through the winter. In the spring 

 these will throw up shoots, if given heat and moisture 

 in the greenhouse or hotbed. E> N< R EASONE R. 



Basjoo, 3. 

 Cavendishii, 1. 

 Champa, 4. 

 Chinensis, 1. 

 coceinea, 8. 

 Dacca, 4. 

 Ensete, 5. 

 Japonica, 3. 



INDEX. 



Martini, 2. 

 orientum, 4. 

 palustris, 4. 

 paradisiaca, 4. 

 rosacea, 10. 

 riibra, 4. 

 sanguinea, 9. 

 sapientum, 4. 



seminifera, 6. 

 Sinensis, 1. 

 Sumatrana, 7. 

 Troglodytarum, 4. 

 Uranoscopos, 4. 

 vittata, 4. 

 zebrina, 6. 



A. Fruit edible, seedless (except rarely 



Nos. Sand 4): petal ovate, entire. 



B. Lvs. 2-3 ft. long: plant dwarf, 



4-6 ft. high: fr. 6-angled: fls. 



1 in. long 1. Cavendishii 



BB. Lvs. 5-9 ft. long: plant taller, 

 8-30 ft.: fr. 3-5-angled: fls. 

 l^A-2 in. long, 

 c. Foliage very glaucous beneath, 



firm: fls. rose-red 2. Martini 



cc. Foliage green on both sides 

 (except one var. of No. 4), 

 thin : fls. yellowish white, 

 except in two forms of No. 4. 

 D. Fls. 2 in. long; bracts ob- 

 long, brownish: petal 

 equaling the calyx: male 



fls. persistent 3. Basjoo 



DD. Fls. 1% in. long; petal half 

 the length of calyx: bracts 

 lanceolate: male fls. de- 

 ciduous 4. sapientum 



AA. Fr. not edible: pulp scanty or none. 

 B. Plant tall (30-40 ft.}, not stolon- 

 iferous: petal 3-toothed: false- 

 stem bottle-shaped: fr. very 



seedy 5. Ensete 



BB. Plant loiv (2-8 ft.), stoloni'erous: 

 petal linear (ovate in No. 6), 

 entire: false stem cylindrical, 

 c. Fls. about 12 to a bract; petal 



ovate 6. seminifera 



cc. Fls. only about 3-4 to a bract; 



petal linear. 

 D. Lvs. large, 5-6 ft. long: fr. 



with stipe %-! in. long... 7. Sumatrana 

 DD. Lvs. smaller, 2-4. ft. long: 

 fr. nearly sessile. 



E. Bracts bright red 8. coceinea 



9. sanguinea 



EE. Bracts pale blue or red- 

 dish lilac 10. rosacea 



1. Cavendishii, Lamb. (M. Sinensis, Sagot. M. Chi- 

 nensis, Sweet). CHINESE DWARF BAXANA. DWARF 

 JAMAICA. Stolonif erous : whole plant 4-7 ft. high: false 

 stem cylindrical, 3-4 in. in diam. : Ivs. conspicuously 

 spreading, oblong, 2-3 ft. by 1 ft. ; petioles short and 

 stout; blade when young spotted and blotched with red, 

 in age rather glaucous: panicle drooping: bracts ovate, 

 dark reddish brown: male fls. persistent; calyx yellow- 

 ish white ; petal one-half as long : panicle very large, the 

 fruits 200-250, small, 4-5 in. by 1% in. or more, yellow, 

 slightly curved, broad, obtuse, narrowed to the "sessile 

 base; skin thick, flesh delicate and fragrant. Southern 

 China. Int. from Mauritius in 1829. 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 of protection. Good for planting in the 

 North ; good, also, for shipping. Grown extensively 

 along the coast of the southern states and in the West 

 Indies. 



2. Martini, Hort. Similar in habit to M. sapientum: 

 Ivs. oblong, long-petioled, quite thick and not easily 

 broken by the wind; veins and stem commonly reddish: 

 fruit rather small, yellowish. Int. from the Canary Isls. 

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



3. Basjoo, Sieb. & Zucc. (M. Japonica, Hort.). JAPA- 

 NESE BANANA. Stolonif erous : whole plant 12-18 ft. 

 high: false stem cylindrical, 6-8 in. in diam.: Ivs. ob- 

 long, thin, 6-9 ft. by 1^-2 ft.; petiole about 1 ft. long: 

 peduncle 1 ft. long: panicle dense, nodding: bracts dull 

 brown: petal nearly equaling the calyx: fr. 30-60, ob- 

 long, pointed, 3 in. long, gradually narrowed to a sessile 

 base, usually containing a few seeds. Liu-Kiu archi- 

 pelago, cult, in Japan. B.M. 7182. R.B. 22, p. 152. 

 R.H. 1896, p. 203. Gn. 55, p. 3. -Decorative; valuable 

 because of its resistance to cold ; may be planted at the 

 North. 



4. sapientum, Linn. COMMON BANANA. Figs. 187, 188. 

 Stoloniferous : plant 20-30 ft.high : false stem cylindrical, 

 4-6 in. in diam. : Ivs. oblong, thin, bright green, 4-7 ft. by 

 1K-2 ft.; petiole slender, 1-1% ft. long: panicle often 

 4-5 ft. long: bracts ovate-lanceolate: fls. IK in. long: 

 fr. in the typical form, 3-4 in. by l%-2 in., forming 3-4 

 bundles of about 12 each, rounded above, narrowed to a 

 sessile base, bright yellow; flesh good, seedless. Na- 

 tive in India and E. Indian Isls. Widely cult, through- 

 out the tropics for the excellent fruit, and also more 

 rarely for the fiber, which is inferior to that of M. tex- 

 tilis. Most of the commercial Bananas are obtained 

 from the numerous varieties of this species. The Ori- 



