262 cxLix. sclTAMifjE^E. (J. G. Baker.) \^Musa. 



Habit of M. superba. Trutih 5-6 ft., 2 ft. diain at the base. Zea-ms, as in 

 Sttperba, but smaller and rather glaucous, upper passing gradually into the bracts. 

 Spike short, drooping ; lower floriferous bracts 6 in. ; flowers 2-seriate, 7-8 to a 

 bract. Oalyx and eofolla yellowish-white. Fruit and seeds as in M. superia. 



3. M. grlauca, Boxb. Hort. Beng. 19; Corom. PL t. 300; Fl. Ind. i. 

 669 ; trunk cylindrio, leaves shortly petioled, bracts ovate greenish, many- 

 fld., calyx 3-cleft, petal obcordate with a large m iicro shorter than the 

 calyx, fruit obovoid-oblong subcoriaceous. Horan. Frodr. 41. 



Pe&u; Carey. 



Trunk 10-12 ft. below the leaves, 8 in. diam. Leaves 4^5 ft., oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute. Spike drooping from the base; bracts numerous, imbricate, the lower not 

 i ft. ; flowers 10-20 to bract. Oalyas pale, about 1 in. ; segments 3, loosely coherent, 

 linear. OoroUa not half as long as the calyx. Fruit 4^5 in., 1^ in. diam. Seeds 

 smooth, globose, nearly black, i in. diam. 



** Stoloniferous. Bracts many-fld. Fruit pulpy, edible. 



4. nx. sapientum, Linn. 8p. Plant. 1477 ; stoloniferous, stem tall 

 cylindrical, leaves petioled, spike drooping, bracts ovate many-fld. usually 

 deciduoHS, calyx 5-toothed at the tip, petal shorter than the calyx, fruit 

 pulpy. Soxb. Sort. Beng. 18 ; Corom. PI. t. 275 ; Fl. Ind. i. 663 ; 

 Orah. Cat. PI. Bomb. 212 ; Balz. Sf Gibs. Bomb. Fl. Suppl. 88. ; Thw. 

 Fnum. 321; Soran. Frodr. 4-2—Bheede Hort. Malab. i. 17, t. 12-14; 

 Bumph. Amboin. v. 130, t. 60 ; Treio Fhret. t. 21-23. 



Indigenous in Bbhak and the Easteen Himalayas, ascending to 4000 ft. 

 Ceylon, Thwaites ; cultivated throughout India and the tropics. — Disteib. Malay 

 isles, &G. 



Stem 8-12 ft. Leaves 4-5 ft. oblong, bright green above, paler beneath, In- 

 ^oresence about. as long as the leaves; bracts ovate, more or less pruinose, lower 6-8 

 in., upper much shorter, falling before the fruit matures. Calyx yellowish-white, 

 l-lj in. Fetal oblong, about half as long. Fruit oblong, trigonous, 2-3 in. in the 

 wild form, and full of seed (seedless in the cult, forms) tapering to the base aud 

 apex, yellowish green when ripe. Seeds angled by pressure, brownish-black, 

 rugose, i in. diam. The priucipal varieties and subspecies wild and cultivated in 

 India are — 



M. Dacca, Horan. Frodr. 41 ; differs from typical sapientum by leaves paler 

 green above white-pruinose beneath, pruinose stem, broad red border of the 

 petiole and pale yellow fruit about 4 in. long with a very thick skin. 



M. Cha.mpa, Sort. ; stem and midrib of the leaf red, fiuit pale straw-coloured 

 about 6 in. long. 



M. siKKiMENsis, Kiirz in Jonrn. Agric. Hort. Soc, Ind. n.s.v. 164; differs 

 from sapientum by its duller purple spathes and angled tubercled seeds 4-5 lin. 

 diam.— Wild in Sikkim. Sook.f. S( Thcms. (Eerh. Ind. Or. 5.) 



M. paeadisiaca, Linn. Sp. Flant. 1477 ; stem reaching a length of 20 ft., leaf- 

 blade of 5-6 ft. and petiole of 2 ft., fruit larger than in sapientum, ^1 ft. long, 

 with firmer pulp, not Ut to eat till cooked, bracts and male flowers more persistent. 

 Boxb. Sort. Beng. 19 ; Trew Ehret. t. 18-20. M. Cliffortiana, Linn. Hort. Cliff. 

 i. t. 1. — Commonly cultivated; wild in Ceylon, according to Moon. 



M. SIMIAEITM, Knrz in. lourn. Agric. Hort. Soc. Ind. xiv. 297 ; bracts violet, 

 only one opening at a time, those of the male flowers convolute, fruit very small. — 

 Andamans and Malacca, Kurz. 



•- M. TEOGLOBYTAEUM, Linn. ; Kv/rz in Journ. Agric. Hort. Soc. Ind. n. s. v. 166 ; 

 leaves narrow oblong, flower-spike erect, bracts greenish imbricated, fruit 8 in. long 

 dark yellow or reddish brown.' — Wild in Ceylon, according to Moon. 



