6 



The leaves, arranged in a loose rosette, are large, oblong, and entire, 

 with a very prominent midrib, and numerous straight, transverse veins. 

 The free portion of the petiole may be long or short. Usually the leaves 

 are bright green on both sides, sometimes darker above and glaucous 

 beneath, rarely with a narrow red edge. In the young state the leaves 

 have narrowly hyaline margins, either beautifully crimson or white. 

 The midrib is semi-cylindrical below, with a deep rounded groove 

 above. The blades on each side of the midrib are generally flat, but 

 sometimes hang down. The large leaves of M. Ensete have been 

 already noticed, the petiole is short, broad, deeply channelled. The 

 midrib is red. In M. Cavendishii the leaves are arranged in a dense 

 rosette, and are rather glaucous. The petiole is short and stout, with 

 two broad, crisped, green edges. The leaves in M. discolor are 

 glaucous, tinged with violet or red. In M. Fitzalani they are 

 patent ; in M. rosacea linear-oblong, and tinged with purple beneath. 

 M. zebrina has the leaves barred with purple ; M. {sapientum) 

 vittata barred with white ; and M. sumatrana with irregular blotches 

 of claret-brown. 



From the centre of the leafy envelopes at the top of the pseudo-stem 

 emerges the flowering spike, which tapers very slightly upwards. 

 Only the uppermost part of it becomes exserted from the leaf-crown, 

 and it is often furnished here with comparatively diminutive cauline 

 leaves, which more or less abruptly pass into the floral bracts. This 

 spike varies greatly in size and length, not only with the species, but 

 according to soil and treatment under cultivation. 



It is composed of many clusters of flowers arranged at intervals along 

 the rachis. Each cluster is subtended by a large spathaceous and 

 membranous bract. The lower part of the rachis, or the peduncle, is as 

 often shortly tomentose or puberulous as it is glabrous, and such 

 variations, according to Kurz, occur in the same variety. It is also 

 furrowed, although the furrows are often obsolete. In some species 

 the spike is erect, as in M. Fehi. In M. discolor it is drooping, and as 

 long as the leaves. In M. proboscidea it is nearly as long as the 

 pseudo-stem (5-6 feet). 



The bracts are most conspicuous and large in all species of Musa. 

 They are important in the discrimination of species. They entirely 

 cover the half -whorls of flowers, and are so densely laid one upon the 

 other that they form a sort of flower cone, which the Malays call 

 djantong. The lowermost bracts are always larger and more elongate, 

 and Lear usually no flowers in their axils. The nature of the outside 

 of the bracts, whether furrowed and variously pruinose to mealy, or 

 smooth and glossy to almost polished, furnishes good distinctive 

 characters. The colour, too, is of value, although great variations occur. 

 The enormously large bracts of M. Ensete, 1J to 2 feet long, are claret- 

 brown and persistent. In others they fall off with the abortive flowers. 

 M. sapientum has bracts of a dull violet colour more or less glaucous 

 outside. In one section (Rhodochlamys) the species have very highly 

 coloured bracts, generally red or yellow. M. salaccensis has pale lilac 

 bracts, while in M. coccinea, a very ornamental species, they are bright 

 red, tipped with yellow ; in M. aurantiaca they are bright orange. 



The flowers, arranged in half-whorls, are inserted upon crescent- 

 shaped protuberances of the rachis. They are usually arranged in two 

 rows and subtended by the bract. The lowermost clusters of flowers are 

 generally female or pistillate (or as Kurz describes them hermaphrodite - 

 female") as the stamens are reduced or absent. The whorls further along 



