BANAXA CULTURE IN HAWAII 27 
whitish, 3.6 centimeters long. Stigma, large, irregularly 3 to G lobed, brownish 
and often marked with small reddish spots. 
Staminate flower, whitish. 7.5 centimeters Ions ; ovary, club-shaped, 2 to 3 
centimeters Long; perianth, lightly shaded with brown, 5-lobed, the two out- 
side Ions and pointed, middle, shorter and broader, and two intermediate, 
all tipped with yellow. Free petal. 2.5 centimeters Ions, translucent, several 
folds at base of' a rather prominent apicnla. Stamens, 5, longer than pistil, 
anthers, curved outward, brownish at margins. Pistil, style slim and white, 
nearly as long as stamens, stigma, small and irregularly lobed. 
Fruit, — Bunches, large, ranging from C>0 to 150 pounds, 7 to 10 or more hands, 
withstand shipping green without wrapping fairly well ; individual fruit, 7 to 
9 inches long, tapering pedicel, beaked apex, nearly straight, apex often 
slightly turned outward. 4 to 5 angled, the ridges almost disappearing at fall 
maturity: skin, thick, bright yellow: flesh firm, core indistinct, consistency 
and flavor excellent (pi. 8, B). 
BRAZILIAN 
How the Brazilian variety (Xo. 4494) came to be so named is not 
known. Hillebrand (1^. p. 433) states that the variety was intro- 
duced into Hawaii from Java about 1855, via Tahiti. Society Islands. 
Higgins (/•;. p. 45) believes the variety to be either Pisan<r radjah 
or Pisano; medja, "the desert banana" of Java. It is £rown on all 
the larger islands of the Hawaiian group and is commonly found on 
the local markets. The area devoted to the variety has been greatly 
extended on windward Oaliu during the past three years (1923- 
1925). The Brazilian is designated by the Chinese as "Park-yuk," 
meaning "white flesh," and sometimes it is erroneously called the 
Apple banana. The variety withstands considerable wind and is 
often used as a windbreak for other varieties. Results of experi- 
ments show that the fruit can be satisfactorily shipped to the markets 
of the Pacific coast. 
Plants. — Size, medium to large; trunks, 12 to 20 feet tall; color, green tinged 
with pink, upper parts of sheath coverings being marked with irregular patches 
of dark brown : petioles, 2 to 3 feet long, stout: blades, light green, 7 to 10 feet 
long, 22 to 27 inches broad. Young sheaths and petioles, frosted with a bloom. 
The rootstocks sucker freely. 
Flowers. — Pistillate. 4.7 centimeters long ; ovary, light green in color ; perianth, 
whitish in color, turning drab to brownish with age; 5 lobes, 3 large and 
2 secondary, small, all bright lemon yellow in color. Petal, large, broad, and 
translucent, apicnla turned inward, stamens short, rudimentary, black pointed. 
Staminate flowers. G..*> centimeters long; ovary, cream colored, washed with 
red: perianth, cream colored turning drab or grayish with age; 5 lobes, 
3 large and 2 secondary, small, all bright lemon yellow; petal, white, translu- 
cent bladdery, apicnla. small, erect, with shorter projections on each side of 
base. Style, slim, white : stigma, small and oblong, irregularly lobed. extending 
to about the same length as perianth; stamens 5, shorter than perianth, some- 
times 3 short and 2 long; anthers, very black, imperfect; some nectar in petal 
about base of style. 
Fruit. — Bunch, small to medium size; may weigh 45 pounds or more when the 
variety is given good culture. The variety may invariably be identified by the 
basal hand of curved fruits which are twisted upward irregularly. Individual 
fruits at maturity are about C> inches long; flower cud terminates in a promi- 
nent beak; fruit i- five-angled with angle ridges prominent, skin, bright 
yellow, of medium thickness, and separates easily from the flesh. Flesh, white 
or light cream colored, core, indistinct. Flavor, pleasing, subacid (pi. 9, A). 
BED 
The lied banana (No. 4492) is not uncommon throughout the 
Hawaiian Island-. Higgins (IS ]>. 1~>) states that it was introduced 
with the Lanro variety from Mexico. It was also introduced into 
