262 THE BANANA 



Ravenala and Heliconia, the structure of the flowers in 

 Musa is more easily understood. In Ravenala (Traveller's 

 Tree) the sepals and petals are free from one another, and 

 somewhat similar, except that one petal is shorter than 

 the other two. In Heliconia (Wild Plantain) two of the 

 sepals are more or less adherent to the two united petals, 

 just as occurs to a much greater degree in Musa. 



The flowers in the three related genera are simpler and 

 are hermaphrodite, whereas in Musa they are functionally 

 unisexual. In Ravenala there are three free subequal 

 sepals ; three petals, of which the two lateral are similar 

 to the sepals but a little shorter, and the third, the median, 

 is slightly shorter than the lateral ; five stamens ; a three- 

 celled ovary ; stigma six-toothed ; capsule loculicidally 

 three -valved, with numerous seeds in each cell. In 

 Streliteia there are three free sepals ; three petals, of which 

 the median is very short and free, the two lateral are long, 

 with the adjacent edges cohering, surrounding the stamens 

 and pistil ; five stamens ; ovary three-celled ; stigma 

 with three linear branches ; capsule loculicidally three- 

 valved, with a few seeds in each cell. In Heliconia the 

 three sepals are free from just above the base, sometimes 

 the lateral are more or less adnate to the corolla ; the 

 corolla is composed of one long composite portion, similar 

 to the sepals but with two or three lobes at apex, and of 

 another odd petal, relatively very short ; stamens five 

 perfect, with a staminode more or less petaloid ; ovary 

 three-celled with one ovule in each cell ; stigma toothed. 

 Fruit indehiscent three-celled, or sometimes with one or 

 two cells only. Seeds solitary in the cells. 



