ener ener apee anne ayn een enn eeEeEEEEEeEEEEEEEeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeorereorrereerereroereeeeee nT 
Saaadicti lian seein anneiainneaeniaiaat 
«in the new continent before the arrival of the Spaniards, 
«Ido not mean at present to inquire: but in opposition to 
“the conjecture referred to, it may be advanced that there 
“ is no circumstance in the structure of any of the states of 
“‘ the Banana or Plantain, cultivated in India or the islands 
“ of equinoctial Asia, to prevent their being all considered 
«as merely varieties of one and the same species, namely 
“«‘ Musa sapientum; that their reduction to a single species 
“ is even confirmed by the multitude of varieties that exist; 
«by nearly the whole of these varieties being destitute of 
«seeds; and by the existence of a plant indigenous to the 
< continent of India (Musa sapientum. Roxb. corom. t.275); 
“ producing perfect seeds; from which, therefore, all of 
«‘ them may be supposed to have sprung. 
«To these objections to the hypothesis ‘of the plurality 
“of species of the Banana, may be added the argument 
<« yeferred to* as contributing to establish its Asiatic origin; 
< for we are already acquainted with at least five distinct 
«‘ species of Musa in equinoctial Asia, while no other spe- 
< cies has been found in America; nor does it appear that 
«¢ the varieties of the Banana, cultivated in that continent, 
“ may not equally be reduced to Musa sapientum as those 
< of India: and lastly, it is not even asserted that the types 
<< of any of those supposed species of American Banana, 
« srowing without cultivation, and producing perfect seeds, 
_“ have any where been found. . 
« That the Bananas now cultivated in equinoctial Africa 
“came originally from India, appears to me equally pro- — 
<bable, though it may be allowed that the Ensere of Bruce 
«< (trav. 5. 36.) is perhaps a distinct species of this genus, 
« and indigenous only to Africa.” Brown, botany of Congo, 
51, 52. Sp eee 
- We have added to the drawing of the inflorescence of 
the natural size, another plate containing an outline of the 
whole plant in flower. sie ain 
* «“ Namely, that in doubtful cases, where other arguments were equal, 
<¢ it would appear more probable that the plant in question should belong to 
« that country in which all the other species of the same genus were found de- 
« cidedly indigenous, than to that where it was the only species of the same _ 
« genus known to exist.” Brown. 
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