398 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1915 
characters of the stem and fruits it bears a close resemblance 
to the variety commonly grown here under the name of letondal 
or latundan. 
They differ only in that the terminal flowers of this variety 
often have aborted stamens ; scale oblong, deep-shouldered, with 
a shorter acute tip and not deeply depressed on the surface. 
The fruits are oblong in shape and slightly curved, angled by 
depression; pedicels very short, or fruit nearly sessile. Style 
persistent. The matured fruit is 10 cm in length and 4 cm in 
width; skin yellow and pulp white when ripe; average weight, 
76.6 grams. 
MUSA SAPIENTUM L. var. AMERICANA var. nov. Cuban red. Plate 
VII, figs. 6-10. 
From 3 to 5 flowering stems in a stool; height of plant from 
235 to 245 cm, diameter at base, 17 to 18 cm ; trunk green with 
black blotches. 
The leaves are green with light purple midribs and margins, 
smooth above and glaucous below; the mature blades 190 cm 
long and from 70 to 75 cm wide; petioles also slightly shaded 
with purple below, from 50 to 55 cm in length. 
The spike bears from 3 to 5 hands of matured fruits. The 
spathe is about 50 cm in length and about 15 cm in width, red 
and longitudinally pitted inside, purple outside and more or less 
glaucous. 
The flowers (Plate XIII, figs. 6, 7, and 9) are white, usually 
12 or 13 in a fascicle, about 7.3 cm long and 1 cm wide; the 
perigonium narrow with shallow sinuses; the scale is obovate 
with narrow, thin margin and acute tip, much rounded on the 
surface, nearly half as long as the perigonium. Stamens and 
pistil distinctly longer than perigonium; the stigma has oblong 
lobes. 
The fruits are nearly oblong, from 10 to 11 cm long and from 
3 to 3.5 cm in diameter, slightly angled by depression, flower 
parts persistent; the pulp is soft and white when ripe, like 
letondal. The average weight of matured fruit is 69.92 grams. 
MUSA SAPIENTUM L. var. VIOLACEA (Blanco). Morado. Plate V, figs. 
6 - 10 . 
Musa paradisiaca violacea Blanco. 
Height, 320 to 340 cm; diameter at base, 19 to 23 cm; from 
8 to 12 stalks, the epidermis with occasional, black patches. 
The leaves are green with purple midribs and margins, smooth 
