Musaceæ,

Musaceæ, a natural order comprising the largest of herbaceous plants, generally destitute or almost destitute of true stems, yet resembling trees in appearance, and sometimes rivaling palms in stateliness, the long sheathing bases of the leaf-stalks combining to form a false stem. The blade of the leaf has many fine parallel veins proceeding from the mid-rib to the margin. The flowers are congregated on spadices, which are protected by spathes. The fruit is either a 3-valved capsule or fleshy. The species are not numerous; they are natives of warm climates, in which they are widely distributed, and are of great value to the inhabitants of tropical countries; the fruit of some, particularly of the genus Musa, being much used for food, whilst the fibres of the leaves are employed for cordage and for textile purposes (see BANANA, ABACA, FIBROUS SUBSTANCES). A very interesting plant of the order Musaceæ is the Traveller's Tree (q.v.) of Madagascar.