cultivating in England. By Mr. John Lindley. 85 



They are also the principal ingredient in a variety of the 

 richest dishes, particularly in that delicious composition 

 called Mantegue,* which is made of slices of them fried in 

 butter, and powdered over with fine sugar.-f Of the many 

 cultivated sorts, that called by the French La Banane 

 musquee is considered the best. It is less than the others, 

 but has a more delicate flavour.^ There are fine un- 

 coloured figures of the Plantain fruit in Rheede's Hortus 

 Malabaricus, Vol. i. plates 12, 13, and 14; and coloured ones 

 in Tus sac's Flore des Antilles, plates 1 and 2. A deep red 

 variety is represented in a Volume of drawings of Oriental 

 Fruits in the Library of the Horticultural Society. It appears 

 probable that there will be as little difficulty in ripening the 

 fruit of the Plantain, as that of any tropical tree whatever. All 

 hot climates seem equally congenial to its growth ; and in Cuba 

 it is even cultivated in situations where the thermometer de- 

 scends to seven centesimal degrees, (45° Fahrenheit), and 

 sometimes nearly to the freezing point. The hardiest variety 

 is called Camburi, and is cultivated with success at Malaga. || 

 It prefers a rich fat soil, for in sandy places it flowers abun- 

 dantly, but produces no fruit.§ 



The Banana and the Plantain are usually considered 

 the same by those who have occasion to speak of them. 

 Although I conceive this to be a matter of no importance, 

 it may nevertheless be proper to observe that the plants are 

 different, and are even thought by some authors to be dis- 

 tinct species. Without staying to enquire whether the latter 



• Mantega is the Portuguese word for butter. f Tussac, page 61. 



J Tussac, page 63. || Humboldt's Personal Narrative, Vol. i. page 119. 



§ Dampier's Voyages, Vol. i. page 313. 



