MUSACEAE (Banana)

Tropical herbs, often very large and tree-like, with huge leaves on long stalks; showy inflorescence with flowers mostly in boat-shaped bracts.

Stem cormlike, suckering at the base (except in the small genus Ensete), bearing many spirally arranged leaves whose sheaths form a false trunk. Inflorescence axis in center of false trunk. Inflorescence axis in center of false trunk, its free part bearing a close succession of large overlapping bracts. Flowers  in lower bracts functionally female, in the rest male; individual floral bracts lacking; perianth (collective name for sepals  and petals) of 2 parts, one consisting of 3 united sepals with small attached alternating petals, the other a free larger petal. Stamens 5, the blanck in front of the free petal. Fruit fresh.

Two genra, about 50 species

Old World tropics, Musa confined to S.E. Asia and Malayan region