46 



POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



florets^ each of which is hidden at first beneath its own pe- 

 rianth^ the whole together strongly resembling the heart of 

 some animal suspended^ both in colour and shape; as the 

 florets of the base become perfect^ the fruit swells out^ and 

 the other florets are pushed forward^ until the stalk on which 

 they are borne often reaches the length of three feet^ and 

 bears an enormous number of fruity sometimes as many as 

 150 to 170 or 180^ weighing from sixty to seventy pounds. 



Each fruit is about six inches long; it is straight^ and 

 about an inch in diameter^ rather shorter and thicker in the 

 banana than in the plantain. When ripe^ the inner portion 

 consists of a rich sweet pulp, of the colour and consistence 

 of marrow, with the flavour of a fine pear. There are 



^'Plantains, the golden and the green." 



Those which are brought to us are gathered unripe, but, 

 upon being kept long enough, acquire a rich golden-yellow 

 colour. It has been stated that they do not produce good 

 fruit under hothouse cultivation in this country ; this how- 

 ever is not quite true : Henry Winch, Esq., of Seacombe, in 

 Cheshire, near Liverpool, some time since, had a plantain- 

 house in which the fruit was ripened in great perfection. 

 The imported ones are rarely worth eating, and are so Kttle 



