MUSACEAE
Morphological description
Robust non-aromatic herbs.
Leaves
Leaves simple, huge, spiral, rolled up lengthwise in bud, the leaf bases forming a fleshy pseudotrunk.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flower mostly unisexual; with 5 stamens, 1 staminode; ovary inferior, 3-locular.
Fruit
Fruit a many-seeded berry or fleshy capsule.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Strelitziaceae: leaves in two rows. - Zingiberaceae: aromatic, 1 sta-men.
Distribution: Musaceae s. s. are confined to the Old World. In Malesia 2 genera, incl. Musa, with several species some of which are cultivated.
Notes: Cultivated forms with edible fruits derived from several species; the closed inflorescence and young leaf sheaths of some species are eaten as a vegetable. The leaves are often used to wrap food, some species are planted as ornamentals. One species produces fibres. Heliconia and Ravenala are here treated under Strelitziaceae.
Literature: C. A. Backer & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Fl. Java 3 (1968) 35-38; R.M. Stover & N.W. Simmonds, The evolution of the bananas, Ed. 3, Longmans, Singapore (1995) 468 pp.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Musaceae 92, 104. - Musa 3, 67, 78.
Illustrations: Fig. 117. Musa glauca Roxb. (Musaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 318. Fig. 118. Musa salaccensis Zoll. (Musaceae). Reproduced from J.J. Ochse & R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies (1980) fig. 320.
Image in PhytoImages for Musaceae