THE PLANTAIN AND BANANA. 61 
_ inquired of natives of the eastern parts of Bengal, who assure 
me that the plant is named mucta-pata or patti-pata, and the 
mat only is called ‘sital-pati””’ The split stems, as prepared 
for making mats, are about four feet in length, one twentieth 
of an inch in breadth, thin as paper, greyish coloured, compact 
and shining almost like cane on the outside; finely striated 
on the inside, and apparently made up by the agglutination 
of very fine fibres. They seem admirably adapted for platting 
of all kinds. 
The plants of this family, however, deserve attention, rather 
on account of what may be, than for anything that has yet 
been done with them ; for the Marantas yielding arrow-root, 
and the Cannas which yield “Tous les mois,” have, with 
perennial root-stocks, only annual stems and leaves. Many of 
these, no doubt, contain a sufficient quantity of fibre to be 
usefully extracted for the paper-maker. 
The same may be said of the innumerable plants of Ginger, 
Turmeric, Cardamom, and others of the nearly allied family of 
Zingiberacee, which are similarly cultivated entirely for their 
roots and seeds, and the herbaceous plants thrown away. These 
from their nature cannot but abound in useful fibre, applicable 
to the same purpose—that is, of the paper-maker. 
Tae Piantain anp Banana Trips (Musacee). 
The name of this family of plants, derived from Musa, is, 
as the author has already observed, so classically sounding, 
that we are apt to forget its probably oriental origin. For 
being natives of tropical countries, though often extending 
beyond such limits, and having the name of mauz or moz 
applied to one of the species by old Arabic writers, there is 
very little doubt of this being the source of the name Musa. 
This is now applied to the genus which produces the fruits com- 
monly known as Plantains and Bananas; as also the fibre so well 
known under the name of Manilla Hemp. The Plantain was 
undoubtedly known by description both to the Greeks and 
Romans, for Theophrastus, among the plants of India, describes 
one as having fruit which serves as food for the wise men of 
1 «Tllustrations of Himalayan Botany,’ p. 354. 
