many branches toward the top, which are covered 
with a 'Smooth, dark, purple bark, .garnished with 
leaves about three inches long, and three quarters 
broad at their bafe, where they are rounded to a heart- 
fhape at the Foot-dalk, but end in acute points, are 
very woolly on their under fide, but fmooth above, 
and of a lucid green , they are {lightly fawed on their 
edges, and are placed alternately. The flowers come 
out from the wings of the (talks, (landing upon long 
foot-dalks, composed of five heart-fhaped petals, 
.which, are white, and fpread open, refembiing thofe 
Of the Bramble, having many (lamina about half 
the length of the petals, terminated by globular fum- 
rnits, and in the center is fituated a roundifti ger- 
men, crowned by a. many-pointed ftigma. The ger- 
men afterward turns to a pulpy umbilicated fruit, as 
large as the fruit of the Cockfpur Hawthorn, and, 
' when ripe, of a dark purple colour, inclofmg many 
(mall, hard, angular feeds ; this fort has produced 
flowers and fruit in England. 
The feeds of this plant were Tent by Mr. Robert 
Millar from Jamaica, which fucceeded in fome of 
the Englifh gardens. 
The plants are propagated by feeds, which (hould be 
fown in pots filled with light rich earth, and plunged 
into a moderate hot-bed of tanners bark, and in warm 
weather the glaffes (hould be raifed to admit frefh air. 
Thefe feeds will often remain in the ground a whole 
year before the plants v/ill appear ; in which cafe the 
pots mud be kept conftantly clear from weeds, and 
(hould remain in the hot-bed till after Michaelmas, 
when they may be removed into the (love, and 
plunged into the bark-bed, between other pots of 
tall plants, where they may remain during the winter 
feafon. Thefe pots (hould be now and then watered, 
when the earth appears dry, and in the beginning of 
March the pots fhould be removed out of the (love, 
and placed into a fre(h bark-bed under frames, which 
will bring up the plants foon after. 
When the plants are come up about two inches 
high, they (hould be carefully taken out of the pots, 
and each planted into a feparate fmall pot filled with 
light rich earth, and then plunged into the hot-bed 
again, obferving to (hade them from the fun until 
they have taken new root, after which time they 
fliould be duly watered, and in warm weather they 
mud have a large fliare of frefh air. In this hot- 
bed the plants may remain until autumn, when the 
nights begin to be cold ; at which time they fliould be 
removed into the (love, and plunged into the bark- 
bed. During the winter feafon thefe plants muft be 
kept warm, efpecially while they are young, and fre- 
quently refreshed with water ; but it mud not be 
given to them in large quantities, led it rot the ten- 
der fibres of their roots. It will be proper to continue 
thefe plants in the dove all the year, but in warm wea- 
ther they fhould have a large diare of frefli air ; but 
as the plants grow in drength, they will be more 
hardy, and may be expofed in dimmer for two or 
three months, and in winter will live in a dry dove, 
if kept in a moderate degree of heat. 
MURUCUIA. See Passiflora. 
M U S A. Plum. Nov. Gen. 24. tab. 34. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 1010. The Plantain-tree. 
The Characters are. 
It hath male and female flowers upon the fame foot- 
ftalk , fome of which tire hermaphrodite thefe are produced 
on afingle ftalk ( or fpadix-,) the male flowers are fituated on 
the upper part of the fpike, and the female below •, thefe 
are in bunches, each bunch having a ft eat h, or cover , 
which falls off. The flowers are of the , lip kind. The 
p flats conftitute the upper lip , and the ne liar ium the un- 
der % they have fix awl-ftaped ftamina , five of which are 
fituated in the petal, and the fixth in the nettarium ; this 
is double the length of the other, terminated by a linear 
fummit -f the' others have none. The ger men is fituated 
under the flower , which is long, having three obtufe 
awles, fupporting an ere It (ylindrical ftyle, crowned by a 
fmndift ftigma. The germen afterward turns to an oh- 
M U S 
long, three-cornered , flefty fruit , covered with a thick 
rind, divided into three parts. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fird fe&ion of 
Linnaeus’s twenty-third clafs, which includes thofe 
plants with male and female dowers, which have 
hermaphrodite flowers on the fame ftalk. Plunder 
ranges it in Tournefort’s clafs, with the anomalous 
flowers of feveral petals •, and Garyin places it among 
the plants with a Lily flower. 
The Species are, 
1. Musa (. Paradfiaca ) fpadice nutante floribus mafcu- 
lis perddentibus. Lin. Sp. 1477. Muft with a nod- 
ding fpike, and nodding male flowers. Mufa . frudtu 
cucumerino longiorio. Plum. Nov. Gen. 24. Mufa 
with a longer Cucumber-ftaped fruit , commonly called 
Plantain-tree. „ 
2. Musa ( Sapientum ) fpadice nutante floribus mafculis 
deciduis. Lin. Sp. 1477* Mufa with a nodding fpike , 
and deciduous male flowers. Mufa fructu cucumerino, 
breviore. Plum. Nov. Gen. 24. Mufa with a ftorter 
Cucumber-ftaped fruit , commonly called Bonana. 
The fird fort is cultivated in all the Hands of the 
Wed-Indies, where the fruit generally ferves the ne- 
groes for bread, and fome of the white people alfo 
prefer it to mod other forts, efpecially to the Yams, 
and Caffada bread. 
This plant rifes with afoft herbaceous dalk fifteen or 
twenty feet high, and upward •, the lower part of the 
dalk is often as large as a man’s thigh, diminilhing 
gradually to the top, where the leaves come out on 
every fide, which are often more than fix feet long, 
and near two feet broad, with a drong flefhy mid- 
rib, and a great number of tranfverle veins running 
from the midrib to the borders. The leaves are thin 
and tender, fo that where they are expofed to the 
open air, they are generally torn by the wind •, for 
as they are large, the wind has great power againd 
them : thefe leaves come out from the fide of the prin- 
cipal dalk, inclofing it with their bafe ; they are rolled 
up at their fird appearance, but when they are ad- 
vanced above the dalk, they expand quite flat, and 
turn backward ; as thefe leaves come up rolled in the 
manner before mentioned, their advance upward is 
fo quick, that their growth may be almofl difcerned 
by the naked eye ; and if a line is drawn acrofs, le- 
vel with the top of the leaf, in an hour’s time the 
leaf will be near an inch above it. When the plant 
is grown to its full height, the fpike of flowers will 
appear from the center of the leaves, which is often 
near four feet in length, and nods on one fide. The 
flowers come out in bunches, thofe on the lower part 
of the fpike being the larged: ; the others diminifli 
in their fize upward ; each of thefe bunches is co- 
vered with a fpathte or (heath, of a fine purple colour 
within, which drops off when the flowers open. The 
upper part of the fpike is made up of male or barren 
flowers, which are not fucceeded by fruit, but thofe 
of the fecond fort fall off with their covers. The 
' fruit of this is eight or nine inches long, and above 
an inch diameter, a little incurved, and has three 
angles ; it is at firft green, but, when ripe, of a pale 
yellow colour. The (kin is tough, and within is a 
foft pulp of a lufcious fweet flavour. The (pikes of 
fruit are often fo large as to weigh upwards of forty 
pounds. 
The fruit of the fird fort is generally cut before it is 
ripe, and roaded in the embers, then it is eaten in- 
dead of bread. The leaves are ufed for napkins and 
table cloths, and are food for hogs. 
The fecond fort, which is commonly called Bonana, 
differs from the fird, in having its (talks marked with 
dark purple dripes and fpots. The fruit is (dorter, 
draiter, and rounder, and the male flowers drop off; 
the pulp is fofter, and of a more lufcious tade, fo is 
generally eaten by way of defert, and feldom ufed in 
the fame way as the Plantain, therefore is not culti- 
vated in fuch plenty. 
Both thefe plants were carried to the Wed-Indies 
from the Canary Idands, to which place it is believed 
they 
