BANANA. A well-known, edible fruit produced by herbaceous plants of the same name, belonging to the genus Musa and sub genus Enmusa. More than 60 species have been described, but four species are of special importance. Musa sapientum, which includes the majority of the bananas grown in the west ern hemisphere; Musa cavendishii, which is the species grown in the Canary Islands and in southern China, and Musa acuminata, the ban ana of the East Indies and Malay Archipelago. Here also should be mentioned Musa paradis iaca, the plant commonly known as the plan tain and differing from the banana in taste and in composition.
The banana is supposed to be a native of the East Indies or Malay Archipelago, but was early introduced either by accident or design into the tropical regions surrounding the Car ibbean Sea, and the fruit is now grown in large i quantities in Central America, some portions of South America and the West Indies and these regions constitute the main producing centres for the American trade and for a portion of the European trade. The banana is also an im portant crop in the Canary Islands, from which large numbers are shipped to the British Isles. It grows abundantly through the Pacific islands, the Malay region and the East Indies, and together with the plantain constitutes one of the main starchy foods of enormous popula tions in all these countries. The bananas of American commerce are largely of the cGroa Michel' type, as it is called, a variety of Musa sapiextum, which produces a firm and finely flavored fruit with good shipping qualities. Red bananas are also grown in considerable quantities. Bananas form one of the principal articles of export from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, northern Panama, northern Colom bia and from the island of Jamaica. Nicara gua, Mexico and Cuba also export bananas in large quantities. The total number exported from these regions amounts to from 40,000,000 to 50,000,000 bunches annually.
Cultivation.-- Bananas are cultivated on a large scale in all these countries, differences in the methods of cultivation depending upon the soil and climatic conditions. In Central Amer ica a new plantation is usually developed from virgin forest in the river valley or coastal plain areas by first clearing out the undergrowth, lining and 'planting the bits or portions of root stalk used as seed, then felling the forest, which in these climates, with abundant rainfall, quickly undergoes decomposition, adding to the humus content of the soil. In the course of a few months the plants will be an several feet high and that time the smaller twigs and branches will have broken down almost completely. Clearing the underbrush and growth of grass, weeds, etc., is then done and in a few months more the banana plants will have reached almost their full height and size and occasional cleaning will keep down the excess of wild growths. The banana plant is characterized by an underground root stalk on which occur buds or eyes, which grow out and up, thus forming a new aerial portion or sucker. Once the plantation is started, therefore, the continued development of these buds produces an over-supply of plants so that the weaker and less desirable ones are pruned out. In the course of time there results, therefore, a large mat of plants surrounding the spot where the single bit was planted. The banana plant
does not possess a true stem above the ground, but the pseudo-stem consists of the basal por tions of the leaf stalks, which overlap one another and are tightly pressed together, so that a trunk of from 8 to 15 inches in diam eter when matured is produced. When the plant is fully matured, a bud forms in the root stalk, grows up through the centre of this mass of leaf stalks and finally emerges from the centre of the crown, this emergence being known as the The bud gradually unfolds and a large number of clusters of flowers open up. Each of these clusters is protected in the bud by a thick overlapping bract. Only the upper clusters of flowers are fertilized and produce fruit, the lower ones withering and falling away. The number of clusters developing fruit is variable, generally running from 6 to 15. Each cluster is known as a hand and the individual fruits as fingers. When the fruit is approaching full develop ment takes place, as the fruit is never allowed to ripen on the plant. The bunch of fruit is removed and the plant which produced it is cut down to the ground, as each plant produces but a single bunch. By a proper selection and pruning of suckers the cultiva tions are, therefore, kept in almost continual production over a series of years.
The Fruit.— The fruit has a very agreeable flavor and taste and contains a large amount of starch and sugar, and is, therefore, of great value from the food standpoint. Analysis of the banana shows on the average 75.3 per cent of water, 1.3 per cent protein, 0.6 per cent fat, 22 per cent carbohydrate and 0.8 per cent ash. Analysis of the ash shows a high percentage of alkaline salts, so that from the food stand point it is an extremely valuable food, espe cially for the production of quick energy. In calories the banana yields about 460 per pound, or approximately the same as green corn and higher than any other fresh fruit. Compared with potatoes, the analysis is nearly the same, somewhat higher in fat and lower in protein, also slightly higher in carbohydrate. In calories the potato yields 385 per pound and the banana 460. Aside from use of the fruit in the raw condition, it may be used to advantage as a cooked vegetable.
Other Uses of the Plant— The tree of the fruit-producing banana of commerce contains a certain amount of fibre which might possibly be utilized in the production of paper and twine, although up to the present time this has never been developed commercially. The Musa textilis of the Philippines, a closely re lated species, constitutes the main source of the hemp used for cordage and in certain in stances the thin leaf blades are used for wrap ping purposes.
any of several small West Indian insect and honey-eating birds that frequent the banana groves, especially the banana-quit (Certhiola flaveola) of Jamaica, whose pretty ways are described at length by Gosse in his books on the natural history of that island. One species (C. bahamensis) occa sionally visits Florida. All these birds are brilliantly plumaged, usually rich blue with yellow markings, and represent the sun-birds (q.v.) of the Eastern tropics.
See LADY-FISH.