256 
quite recurved pointing bi bem parallel with the rachis and over- 
lapping each other. Again, the goan its may be loosely arranged, hardly 
touching one another ; or né be compactly or even “densely 
crowded together so as to completely hide the rachis. The Jamaica 
banana, for instance, has the fruits “ compactly but not y neris arranged, 
recurved, almost parallel with the axis" In the Surinam banana 
the fruits “are laxly arranged, the first series somewhat. re-curved, the 
rest spreading nearly at right angles to the axis." In the Chinese or 
dwarf banana the fruits * are lax, Muir outwards, hardly over- 
lapping.” The plantains (ins NNNM have generally fewer and 
looser fruits. These may be *laxly spreading outwards” or “ curled 
upwards like a horn." The individual fruits are usually larger than in 
the banana. The pulp firm and the colour yellowish-green, or yellow 
when ripe, not red. 
The fruit clusters are called “hands.” Each hand may vary from 
3 to 10 (or in exceptional instances) to 18 on each spike, Again, a 
hand may consist of 8 to 18 single fruits or “fingers.” The. total 
number of fruits produced on a ** bunch" may be as low as 24, or as 
high as Dus or more, The weight of a bunch may be from 30 to 90 
pounds (avoir.). 
. After fruiting the stem dies. Its place is Peas taken by several new 
shoots or stolons thrown up from the base. These grow closely to- 
gether, and the next year two or Aa may bear bunches of fruit. 
When once planted the produce of banana trees on a small area is 
exceptionally large. Hence at ae has calculated that, although 
less nutritious than wheat or potatoes, yet the space occupied by their 
culture and the care required render the sede. of bananas compared 
to wheat is as 123 to 1, and to that of potatoes as 44 t 
"he bananas (using the word in a general sense) are amongst those 
cultivated plants of which we know the wild so 
acquainted with one or more intermediate forms between the wild and 
cultivated so that the transition in the evolution of the pulpy fruit 
— seeds from the dry fruit full of seeds can be observed. In the 
ase of M. Fehi, found wild in Tahiti, Fiji, and New Caledonia, accord- 
Pa to Dr. Sagot well-formed seeds are not very common, and hence 
this species exhibits even in the wild condition. a tendency to abortion 
of the seeds and a compensating Ropertrophy ofthe pulp. Musas in a 
wild state are chiefly found in India, the Malay Archipelago, Cochin- 
China, Philippines, Northern Astras and the islands of the Pacific. 
fruits are found in Africa. The true bananas are apparently Indian, 
Malayan, and Polynesian. They have in eultivated from the earliest 
times, and the facility with which suckers can be transported, and the 
long period during which they retain their vitality, have "entered 
them particularly easy of distribution. There are no plants that require 
less care to establish. 
The most familar of cultivated Musas are exu fads described 
by Linneeus as M. sapientum and M. paradisi 
SPECIES or Musa. 
Although it has usually been believed that only one or two species of 
Musa. yield edible fruit it will be found that besides the numberless 
varieties of M. sapientum, including the common bananas or plantains 
of tropical eountries, there are several other species which are cultivated 
