MUSA 



MOSCARI 



1039 



iioco, Horse or Hog Banana, is probably Vfry near tlie 

 typieal form of this species. It is veryliardy, andmucli 

 urown in (inlf states: fr. 6-7 in. long, not good nnle>s 

 ripened on the plant. The Pig Banana resembles var. 

 Cliampa, but small fruit purplish: dark Ivs. and sti-m 

 often blotched willi black. Not hard}'. 



Var. Troglodytarum, Hort. {M. Tror/Joili/iarnui, Linn. 

 M. Uranoscoposy Rumph, not Seem.). Rather dwarf : 

 Ivs. narrow-oblong : bracts greenish: panicle in fr. 

 erect: fr. small, 2-3 in. long, nearly gloljular, reddisli 

 yellow or orange, rarely with a few seeds; flesh y>dlow, 

 sweet and mawkish. India and Pacific Isls., rareh- 

 cult, in U. S. 



Var. Dicca, Hort. {31. Diicco, Horan. 3T. palilstrix, 

 Hort.?). i>A(;(;A fiANANA. Rather dwarf: stem glau- 

 cous: Ivs. pale green, glaucous beneath; petioles with 

 red margins: fr. yellow, 4 in. long by 2 in. wide, its tiji 

 and base bright green ; flavor good; skin thick. — Tender, 

 not good for cool climates. 



Var. CMmpa, Hort. (il. Champa, Hort. il.orientiim, 

 Hort.). Habt'.s Ohoice. Lady Pingei^, or Golden 

 Eardy Banana. Chumpa. Stem and midrib of leaf 

 tinged with red: fr. ijale straws-yellow, about 6 in. long; 

 skin very soft and thin ; flesh luscious and delicate in 

 flavor, ripens quickly. Hardy in cool climates. Best ()f 

 all for growing in Plorida. Much grown in W. Indies. 



Var. paradisiaca, Hort. [3f. parndlslaca, Linn.). 

 Plantain Banana. Cooking Banana. Adam's Fkj. 

 Male fls. m(U'e persistent: fr. 40-80 on a panicle, very 

 large, 7-14 in. long, cylindrical, yellow, acutish; pulp 

 tirra and less saccharine, not very good unless cooked; 

 Ivs. 5-7 ft. and petiole 2 ft. long. India. R.H. 1888, p. 

 (19. L. B.C. 7:084. — Cult, everywhere in tropics, espe- 

 cially in Cut)a. Most commercial Bananas are of this 

 variety. The Martinique Banana is prol.)aTi!y merely a 

 form with slightly smaller fruits (7-8 in. long). Im- 

 mense quantities grown in W. Indies a.nd Cerit. Amer. 

 Pine for shipping. 



Var. rubra, Hort. (31. riihra, Pirming). Baraooa 

 B.anana. Red Jamaica Banana. Red Spanish Banana. 

 Stem, petiole, fls. and midrib of leaf dull red: fr. large, 7-9 

 in. long at first, dark red, ripening to a yellowish red, of 

 very good quality. — This is the red Banana of commerce, 

 formerly imported in large quantities from the W. 

 Indies. Plant very large and stout, with erect Ivs., and 

 is one of the finest for decorative purposes, although 

 not very hardy. The Golden Banana is intermediate be- 

 tween this and var. Vhampa: fr. golden yellow or red- 

 dish, 8-9 in. long, blunt. 



Var. vittata, Hook. Rather dwarf in habit: Ivs. and 

 the long fruits copiously striped with white and often 

 also rose; spathes bright red inside. B.M. .5402. — A'n y 

 decorative. 



."5. Eng^te, Gmel. Abyssinian Banana. Pig. Ifno. 

 One of the largest species, very luxuriant : ivs. ob- 

 long, acutish, bright green, up to 20 ft. by 3 ft.; petiole 

 short and broad; peduncle short; panicle nearly globose: 

 bracts ovate, dark claret-brown : fls. whitish, iH-2 in. 

 long, 2-ranked, 20 or less in each rank; caly.x strap- 

 shaped ; apex 3-lobed ; petal short, central cusp long- 

 linear: fr. coriaceous, dry, 2-3 in. long; seeds 1-4, black, 

 glossy, nearly 1 in. broad. Abyssinia. G.C. II. 15: 435; 

 21:19; III. 16:096. Gn. 47. p. 5; 48, p. 406. B.M. 5223. 

 R.H. 1888, p. 32. V. 5:53. P. B. 11:470. -Most commonly 

 cult, of all decorative Bananas, and probably the finest; 

 also most hardy of all cult, forms, growing freely during 

 the summer. Seeds germinate easily in hotbed. 



6. eeminlfera. Lour. The typical form is not in the 

 traile. Var. zebrina, Hort. {31. zebrlna, Hort.). Very 

 similar to 31. sapienttim in vegetative characters, but 

 much smaller: axis of the panicle velvety: fr. small, 

 oblong, full of seeds and not edible, yellowish or green- 

 ish in color; Ivs. usuallv purple below and copiously 

 blotched or striped with black or dark purple above. - 

 A very fine ornamental variety. 



7. Sumatrana, Becc. False stem 3 ft. high: Ivs. ob- 

 long, 5-6 by IK ft., glaucous, blotched with claret-brown ; 

 petiole slender: peduncle hairy: panicle drooping, l-^^ 

 ft. long; male fls. deciduous; bracts short and rounded : 

 female clusters few. distant: calyx 1 in. long: fr. rylin- 



drical. curv(Hl, 2-3 in. by }^ in., narrowed suddenly to a 

 sleiidi-r stipe. Sumatra'. LH. 27:375. -Used for decr.ra- 

 ti\'e purposes. 



8. coccinea, Andre. Palse stem slender, 4-5 ft. by 2-3 

 in. : Ivs. suiall, oblong, 2-3 ft. by 6-9 in. ; petiole long and 

 slender: panicle dense, erect, (i in. long: female chisters 

 few: bracts lance-oblong, bright red, tipped with y<-l- 

 low: calyx yellow, 1 in. or more long: seeds very small, 

 oblong, rarely prodoce<l in cult. S. Chiiui. B.M. 15,'i!!. 

 L.B.C. .'i:475.— Very showy. 



9. sanguinea. Hook, f. Palse stem slender, 4—5 ft. 

 ijigh : Ivs, obl'uig, 2-3 ft. Iruig. thin, bright green; petiole 

 slender, 1 ft. long: panicle at first erect, finally droop- 

 ing : female] clusters 2-0, ''urh 2-3-fid. : male clusters 

 few, clense: bracts lauc(M.lale, somewhat persistent: 

 bright red: calyx bright yellow, IH in. long: fr, ot>- 

 long-trigonous, 2 in, long, rather pulpy, pale green, 

 variegated with red : seeds angled, small, black, 

 tubercled. Assam. B.M. 5975. — Decorative and showy, 



10. rosacea, .Tac(|, Palse stem 3-5 ft. high, 3-4 in, in 

 diani, : Ivs, narrow, linear-oblong, firm, 3 ft. long, 9 in, 

 wide, inirplish beneath; petiole long and slender, 

 ytanicle drofiping or erect, about! ft, long; bracts ovate- 

 lanceolate; rosys purjde : mah' clusters more numerous 

 than the female, deciduous : calyx yellow, 1 in. long : 

 fr. oblong, obscurely 4-5-angled, yellowish green, 2-3 in. 

 long; pulp very scanty aiul scarcely edible: seeds 2 

 lines in <liam., blark. tubercled, rare in cult. India, H.R. 

 9:700, L,1!,C, 7:015, -Bit, into California, 





1436. Musa Ensete. 



M. FUd.Yiein. (M, Seeaiaaii, F. Maell.), Similar to M,S3ri- 

 entiim, Lvs. larger and firmer: fr, 5-6 in, long, strfiisrht, yellow, 

 ediijie, seedy. Cult, in Europe, G, C, III. 8: 182.— Jf, n<;;ro, 

 Hort,, differs from M, coccinea in its short petal (one-half 

 length of calyx). Cult, in Europe, B,M, 74,51,— JU, superba, 

 Roxb, Similar to M, Ensete: tninic often 7-8 ft, in circumfer- 

 ence at base: panicle drooping, cue-third length of stem: calyx 

 of 3 loosely cohering parts. Cult, in Europe, B,M, 3849,3860. 

 R. H, 1877, p, 277; 1888, p, 33, F, 1873, p. 273,— Jlf, tixlilis. Ne<:. 

 M.ANILA Hemp, Stem cylindrical, 20 ft, or more high: lvs, 

 glaacous beneath, oblong, firm: petal long; fr, on drooping 

 .ixis, green, 2-3 in, long, narrowed to a short, stout pedicel, not 

 edible, filled with seeds. Most important of cordage plants. 

 Immense quantities exported from the Philippines, Int. by 

 I)iv, of Pomologj', D, S, Dept, of Agric, in 1889, but no longer 

 advertised, K. M, WlEGAND, 



MTTSCAEI (Latin name referring to the musky odor 

 of 31. moschatum). LiUAcew. Grape Hyacinths are 

 charming, hardy, spring-blooming bulbs (see Pig. 14391. 

 They are something like a hyacinth, but the clu.5ters are 

 smaller, and the individual fls. are smaller and of differ- 

 ent shape. The fis. are more or less urn-shaped, con- 

 stricted at the mouth and have 6 small teeth instead of 



06 



