THE PALM HOUSE 23 
pineapple. It is delicious when eaten on ice cream or other dessert, 
and the growing of it has become something of an industry in Florida. 
Musa, or BANANA, belongs to the Musaceae, a family with no local 
representatives. This is the largest tree-like herb known. Many 
species attain their full size in less than a year. This collection in- 
cludes representatives of 11 species, some of which are grown for their 
fruit, others for their fiber, and still others for their decorative foliage. 
Among the most interesting species shown here are the following: 
Musa Cavendishii, or CHINESE DwarF BANANA, a species from China 
that grows but 3 to 4 feet in height. The fruit is good and stands 
shipment well. The species is grown to some extent in our southern 
states and in the West Indies. 
Musa Ensete, or ABYSSINIAN BANANA, the largest known and most 
widely cultivated decorative banana. It yields a good fiber. This 
species is shown in ancient Egyptian sculpture. 
Musa sapientum, which takes its specific name from the fact that this 
is supposed to be the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of which 
Eve ate the fruit. The species has been cultivated from the most 
ancient times, and dozens of varieties are now known. Marketable 
bananas do not produce seed—they have been cultivated so long that 
they have ceased to form seed. New plants are grown from the sprouts 
that come up around the base of grown plants. The climate that suits 
the banana best is the one that suits white men the least. The bananas 
of commerce are picked green and ripened after they reach market. 
The United States and England are about the only temperate countries 
where the fruit is much used—elsewhere it is looked upon as a sort of 
curiosity. In tropical countries the fruit is usually picked green and 
cooked. The most delicious variety of this species that is grown in 
the Conservatory is the ““Lady-Finger Banana,” a species popular in 
Florida and the West Indies. The fruit of this banana is most delicious. 
Probably the most slow-growing variety of this species in the collection 
is the Red Banana, which took 9 years to grow to fruiting size. 
Oreodoxa oleracea (Areca oleracea), or CABBAGE PaLM, is a popular 
avenue palm from the West Indies that reaches a height of 120 feet. 
There are many avenues of this palm in Florida. The natives of the 
West Indies cut the trees when they are about 3 years old and eat 
the crown bud or ‘cabbage,’ which is tender and delicious. 
Oreodoxa regia, or Roya PALM, is a related species that is equally pop- 
ular as an avenue palm. It is a native of Cuba and Panama. The 
trunks are used for piles for wharves. 
Pandanus utilis, or SCREW-PINE, a native of Madagascar, belongs to 
the Pandanaceae, a family with no local representatives. The tree is 
remarkable for the spiral arrangement of the leaves, and for the great 
aerial roots that look like stilts. The young plants are a most popular 
table and house plant. In the tropics this tree is as valuable to the 
natives as many of the palms. The fruits are edible, and taste much 
like rutabaga. The roots furnish fiber for ropes, baskets, mats, and 
