BANANA CULTURE IN HAWAII 31 
Plants. — Clumps, Large, with many smooth, stout, light green, somewhat 
leaning trunk-. 10 to i-~> feet high; leaves 8 to 12 feel long; petioles, 2 to 3 feet 
Long, cylindrical; margins with very fine brown lines which extend into blade 
margins; blade, broad, with round* d ends, base somewhat cordate, shiny green 
above, lighter green below, midrib with east of pink. 
Flowers. — Pistillate llower. 8.5 centimeters long; ovary, 6 centimeters long, 
club Shaped, curved, sharply 5-angled, extended on a stout pedicel 3 centimeters 
long; perianth. 3.7 centimeters ham. outside rose red with lighter margins and 
3 lobes of same color, inner surface deep red. Free petal. 2.5 centimeters long, 
light at base, shaded to rose pink, sides depressed, dished and with delicate 
apicula. Stamens. 5, rudimentary: no anthers; style, stout, pinkish, stigma 
globular, brownish with lobes indistinct. 
Staminate flower. 5.5 centimeters long: ovary, 1.7 centimeters, pinkish at 
base, lighter at extreme; perianth. 3.8 centimeters long, deep rose color, redder 
inside. 3 to 5 lobes: corolla, 1 to 3 petals, light at base, rose pink, dished with 
side depression forming keel; broad apicula with yellow margins; stamens, 
yellowish. 8.7 centimeters long, and with narrow, brownish curved anthers. 
Pistil, rudimentary, as long or longer than stamens. The heart is short and 
thick : bracts, purplish with heavy glaucous, deep red inside, rolling before 
shedding. The rachis extends to several feet in length. 
Fruits-. — From 5 to 7 inches long, 1 :! + to 2% inches in diameter, 4 or 5 angled, 
stout, straight, with sides slightly inflated, apex tapering with calyx and style 
deciduous. Skin, coarse and with bluish tinge when young, and very glaucous, 
often bavin? a silvery white color ; pale yellow when ripe. Flesh, white, taste 
sweetish, core distinct, seedless except in rare cases ; 7 to hands to the bunch : 
weight of bunch 40 to 60 pounds, The fruit may be eaten raw, but is also 
used as a cooking banana (pi. 11, A). 
ESLESXO 
Amonrr the bananas introduced into Hawaii by the station from 
Porto Kieo in 1904 was an unlabeled variety which has since been 
identified by J. Caban, of Honolulu, formerly of the West Indies, as 
the " Eslesno " (Xo. 4495). The variety was probably named after 
a territory of some Spanish possession, and is more commonly known 
in Hawaii as the " Porto Rican." It is regarded as excellent when 
eaten raw. and on account of its small bunches is probably suited for 
local-market culture only. 
Plants. — Trunk. 10 to 12 feet tall, rather small, somewhat leaning when in 
fruit : trunk sheaths, reddish green with more or less dark-brown patches : foli- 
age, usually of 7 or 8 leaves, 8 to 10 feet long, 16 to 18 inches wide at full ma- 
turity: petiole, almost cylindrical, with red margins extending into reddish- 
brown leaf margins; blade, rich, dull green above, lighter green below: clumps 
sucker freely; sword suckers expand broad leaves after reaching 3 feet tall: 
leaf margins on peepers and sword suckers rather red : other young growth 
glaucous. 
Flowers. — Pistillate flower, 12 centimeters long: ovary. 7.5 centimeters Ion?, 
3-angled, occasionally 4: style and stigma, 3.8 centimeters long, stigma 6-lobed; 
perianth, 3.5 centimeters, somewhat shorter than style, whitish in color, ridged 
longitudinally and lightly washed with red, margins light and 5 terminal lobes 
tipped with orange; two outside and middle lobes about 7 millimeters long, two 
intermediate narrow and shorter; inner surface of perianth beautifully streaked 
with dark red. 
Ovary of neutral flower, 3.7 centimeters long: other floral parts rather rudi- 
mentary. 
Staminate flower. 7.5 centimeters Ion?: ovary. 2.5 centimeters long: 
perianth, about 5 centimeters, light, shaded with red; 5 lobes, orange tipped; 
corolla, consisting of one free petal, translucent or whitish, dished; no apicula; 
stamens, 5.5 centimeters; anther, curved, dark brown: pistil. 5 centimeters, 
white, tinged with pink and cream or yellow stigma : rachis extending, dropping 
staminate flowers and bracts from long pointed terminal buds: bracts roll 
before dropping, dark purple color grayed with glaucous; inner surface, rich 
dark red. roughened with numerous transverse Indentations. 
