434 FENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.J MuSdi 



and inflorescence hanging down in beautiful festoons. Branches 

 round, clothed with a great abundance of thick, cinnamon- or rust- 

 coloured, soft tomentum ; while young extremely hoary. — Leaves 

 large, leathery, a span long, trinerved, the lateral nerves pedate; va- 

 rying from undivided, broad-ovate, entire or acutely three-lobed, 

 with a s'ightly cordate base and acuminate apex, to ternate, or pedato- 

 quinate. Leaflets five or six inches long, acutely dentate, acumi- 

 nate ; lateral either semi-cordate, or cuneate at the hase, in the latter 

 case there is on each side an additional somewhat smaller leaflet ; the 

 intermediate ones longer than the rest, tapering much downwards, 

 sub-sessile. They are densely tomentose and strongly marked with 

 ferruginous ribs on both sides, Petiols from two to three inches 

 long, tomentose, ferruginous. — Stipules lanceolate, hoary. — Tendrils 

 long, hoary, undivided, mostly corymbiferous,— Corymbs from six to 

 eight inches long, slender, sub-cylindric, hoary and ferruginous, con- 

 sisting of very numerous, crowded, from one to three inches long, 

 sessile, spreading or reflected spikes, of minute, globular, sessile, te- 

 trandrous, smooth flowers. Berries roundish, smooth, purple, three- 

 to four-cornered, containing three or four triangular seeds. 



Obs. This is a most charming plant, remarkable on account of 

 the varying form of its leaves and the dense tomentum with which 

 most of its parts are covered.— N. W. 



MUSA, Schreb. gen. K 1563. 



Polygamous. Calyx. Spaces partial, one- or many-flowered. Corol 

 of two unequal petals. Flowers all hermaphrodite. Male-herma- 

 phrodite toward the apex of the spadix. Germ inferior, abortive. 

 Female-hermaphrodite toward the base of the spadix. Germ infe- 

 rior, three-ceiled, cells many-seeded, attachment central. Berry 

 oblong, three-celled, many-seeded. Embryo central, and amply 

 furnished with a perisperm. 



1. M, sapient urn t JVilld spec. iv. p. 894. 



Spadix drooping, spathes ovate, deciduous; those of the female- 



