14 THE BANANA 



sinian banana (Mtisa Ensete) there are six stamens ; in 

 the allied Wild Plantain (Heliconia Bihai) the sixth stamen 

 is more like a petal than a stamen. In most species of 

 Musa, however, the sixth stamen is wanting. The parts 

 of the flower of the banana which correspond to the sepals 

 and petals in more regular flowers are so combined that 

 the larger piece of the floral envelope, the perianth, consists 

 of three sepals and two petals, all united together, an in- 

 dication of which is given in the five lobes at the apex 

 (Fig. 5, C, p). The third petal, which in orchids is the 

 lip, is not attached to the rest (free petal), and is shorter 

 than the combination of sepals and petals (Fig. 5, C, c). 

 The ovary (Fig. 5, C, ov) is one-third or one-fourth the 

 whole length of the flower. 



If the flowers which later on become the banana fruits 

 are examined as soon as they " shoot " (Fig. 5, A, B), it 

 will be seen that they have the same general structure 

 as those already considered, but are larger : the ovary 

 (Fig. 5, B, ov) (later the banana) is much more developed, 

 being two-thirds of the length of the whole flower ; the 

 stamens (Fig. 5, B, st) are defective. These are the female 

 flowers which in the wild species of Musa produce 

 seeds. 



In plants related to the banana (Musa) the flowers are 

 hermaphrodite, having both stamens and pistils perfect 

 in each flower, and from this fact and from the structure 

 of the flowers in the species of Musa there is no doubt 

 that the original plants from which they are all derived 

 had all the flowers hermaphrodite, and that the pristine 

 character has developed into the modern condition where 

 some flowers are only female and others only male, while 

 a remnant intermediate in position are apparently her- 

 maphrodite or more probably neuter. The significance of 

 the evolution in structure is that cross-fertilization is of 

 use to the plant. Moreover, the female flowers being 

 mature before the male on the same plant shows that this 

 is a case of necessary cross-fertilization from another plant 

 that the pollination of the female flowers under natural 



