mi 



made from the split stems of the " Common Reed " or " Spanish 

 Cane " {Aj^ndo Donax, Linn.) or *^ the bunches are packed 

 first of all in cotton wool, then in newspaj)er, afterwards in straw 

 and finally wrapped in dry banana leaves, the whole being 

 rammed tight before the crate is fastened up " (Kew Bull. 1913, 

 p. 295; Add. Series vi. ]}. 69); carried in open holds or on the 

 decks of the ships. 



It is more suitable for cultivation in sub-tropical regions or 

 the higher and cooler parts in the Tropics than M, sapientum, 

 and comes to maturity in from 12-18 months. In the Canary 

 Islands, the cultivation is carried on under irrigation — " each 

 banana plant in the plantation is irrigated every ten days, alternate 

 daj^s being devoted entirely to this work. After bearing the 

 stems are cut off about 2 ft. above the ground, and are fed to oxen, 

 the dry leaves being used for packing. Only one sucker is left 

 to replace the old stem, the stump of which remains in the ground 

 for a year and is then uprooted, broken up and used as manure. 

 The suckers take a year or more to come into bearing and the 

 bunch of fruit is ready for cutting about 5 months after the first 

 bracts open " (I.e. 1913, p. 295). 



Musa sapientum, Linn. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. VII. p. 330. 



IlL~'Roxh. PI. Corom. iii. t, 275; Diet. Sc. Nat. t. 66; 

 Schacht, Madeira & Teneriffe, t. 2 & p. 36; Nooten, FL 

 Java, t. 38; Spach, Suites' (Hist. Nat. des Vegetaux) t. 102; 

 Teysmarinia, Batavia, xix. 1908, p. 768 (" Pisang radja"); 



Philippine Journ. Sci. (Bot.) x. Nov. 1915, tt. 7-15 (varieties, 

 ^fniits & flowers). . 



Vernac. name. — Ayaba (Hausa, Dahiel). — Banana. 



var. paradisiaca, Linn,; FL Trop. Afr. VII. p. 331. 



In general appearance same as the type plant; fruit larger 

 and 3-sided instead of several-sided. 



IlL—Rheede, Hort. Mai. i. tt. 12-13; Pumpf. Amb. v. t. 60; 

 Lam. EncycL tt. 836, 837; Velloso, FL Alogr. Brazil, p. 227; 

 Tussac. Ant. i. tt, 1 ife 2; Diet. Sc. Nat. t. 67; Redoute, Choix 

 Fl. viiL t. 443 (stem) t. 444 (fruit); Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 684; 

 Kew Bull. April 1887, p. 4; 1894, p. 232; Add. Series vL 1906, 

 Musa, p. 4; PhiHppine Journ. Sci. (Lc.) tt. 16, 17 (vars.). 



Vernac, name. — Ayaba (Hausa, Dalziel), — Plantain. 



The banana and the plantain are both cultivated throughout 

 the Tropics — including Asia, Africa, America, West Indies, East 

 Indies, Queenslajid and PhiHppine Islands ; the former as a 

 fruit and the latter as a vegetable. The plantain rarely comes 

 into this country, but the banana is well known everywhere. 

 The principal sources of supply are Costa Bica, Colombia, British 

 West Indies, and as before stated (J/, Cavendishii) the Canary 

 Islands, to a total of more than 7,000,000 bunches annually. 

 The variety chieflj' grown in Jamaica and Costa Rica is " Gros 

 Michel '' (also grown in Trinidad, Martinique and Dominica — 

 where it is kno\\Ti as '' figue la rose ") — 18-20 ft. high, fruit 



K 2 



