3 



by any means been studied carefully, and there is no standard work 

 existing giving an adequate account of their history, origin, and dis- 

 tribution in various parts of the world. The information respecting 

 them is scattered through numerous books which are seldom accessible 

 except in large libraries. A paper on Les differ entes especes dans le 

 genre Musa (Bananier), by Dr. Sagot, was published in the Journal de 

 la Societe Nationale d" Horticulture de France, April and May, 1887. 

 Dr. Sagot divided the Musas (or Bananas as he called them) into three 

 groups as follows : — 



1. The Giant Bananas, of which M. Ensete is the type. In this 



group no suckers are formed. The fruit is inedible and leathery, 

 seeds few. 



2. Fleshy-fruited Bananas, with M. sapientum as the type. Stem 



producing suckers ; spike long and decurved ; fruit fleshy and 

 usually edible. 



3. Ornamental Bananas. Spike often erect, not pendent, bracts per- 



sistent, brightly coloured, each with only a few flowers in its axil, 

 suckers many, fruit leathery. M, rosacea and M. coccinea are 

 familiar examples of this group. 



More recently, in 1893, A Synopis of the Genera and Species of 

 Musea 3 , prepared by Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., was published in the 

 Annals of Botany, Vol. VII., pp. 189--222. This contains a key to 

 the sections and species and brief descriptions of 32 species of Musa 

 and several varieties. Mr. Baker's paper brings together, for the first 

 time, a complete review of the genus, and a starting point is established 

 from which to make further investigations. The chief features in it 

 are incorporated here. The sub-generic distinctions adopted by Mr. 

 Baker are based on the shape of the stem, the number of flowers to a 

 bract, the shape of the petal, and the colour of the bract. His divisions, 

 like those of Sagot, are three, and they practically include almost the 

 same species. 



Descriptive. 



The stem (pseudo-stem) in Musas usually arises from a perennial 

 rootstock which is made up of a number of successive shoots extending 

 outwards from the original base. The apparent stem arising from each 

 shoot is composed at one stage of nothing but the convolute sheaths of 

 the leaves. The sheaths of the leaves in this case are tightly packed 

 one over another, and the outermost generally covers about three-fourths 

 of the circumference. The inner sheaths, occupying the centre, are 

 very narrow and tightly rolled, but they gradually widen as they come 

 nearer the outer surface of the stem. When the plant is about to flower 

 the bud, which starts from the base, is pushed up through the centre of 

 the leaf -sheaths and appears at the top from among the expanded 

 leaves. 



Graham {But. Mag., t. 3849) had carefully noticed the growth of the 

 flower-bud of Musas in this country in 1840. He says : — 



" The flower-bud, as I have proved by cutting down full-grown plants 

 of Musa rosacea and Cavendishii, and I think also of M. paradisiaca, 



remains at the root till a time after the plant has attained its full size, 

 varying according to its treatment, and then pushes its way upwards — 



23099 A 2 



