MONOCOTYLEDONS 281 
There are many varieties of bananas; but the Martinique, 
with large yellow fruit, is the one most extensively culti- 
vated. The chief banana-producing regions are the West 
Indies and Central America; but bananas are grown also 
in Florida, Louisiana, and California. 
The pineapple is developed by a low plant producing a 
tuft of stiff, sword-shaped leaves, in the center of which a 
single pineapple arises (Fig. 277). It is a native of tropical 
Fic. 277.—A pineapple plant.—From Dictionary of Gardening. 
America, and our supply comes chiefly from the West 
Indies, Bahama Islands, and Florida. The nature of this 
peculiar fruit has been described (§ 143). 
