THE PLANT 7 



Compare the leaves with those of the coco-nut, which 

 are divided into ribbons, offering no resistance to wind, 

 and seeming to enjoy the stormy gales of the seashore. 

 The undivided leaf of the banana shows very clearly that 

 it was developed under conditions where only gentle 

 breezes lazily move it, and as the structure of the root 

 points to a forest soil as the cradle of the family, so the 

 leaf indicates an open glade sheltered from the rough 

 winds by surrounding woodland. Naturally a windy 

 situation is not the best, if large bunches and good fruit 

 are desired, and the crop becomes more precarious in 

 proportion as the plants get heavier and more top-heavy 

 with ripening bunches. 



The young leaf, before it expands, is so rolled round 

 on itself that not a drop of rain can penetrate to the 

 centre of the cylindrical trunk, where another young leaf 

 or the bunch is forming ; when it at length expands, 

 another convolute leaf is there on guard. The last leaf 

 to appear before the flowering stalk is much smaller than 

 the rest, and it hangs over and protects the flowers from 

 the direct sunlight. 



As has been already indicated, the sheathing bases of 

 the leaves act the part of a woody stem in supporting 

 the huge leaf blades and carrying them upwards towards 

 the sunlight. They also enclose in their centre, and 

 protect, the flowering stalk for the few weeks while it is 

 pushing its way up from the bulb to the top of the 

 trunk. 



The sheaths, when cut across, show very large air spaces, 

 and these are connected with minute pores on the lower 

 surfaces of the leaves which admit air, a large quantity 

 of which is necessary for the rapid growth. 



It is interesting to note how the leaves adapt themselves 

 to sunshine and shade. When the rays of the sun are 

 perpendicular and too intense, the sides of the leaf collapse 

 and hang together, the under surfaces, on which the vast 

 majority of the minute pores are situated, coming together 

 and preventing too great evaporation. In wet weather, 



