Musaceae (Banana family) Systematic Classification Division: Spermatophyta Subdivision: Angiospermae Class: Monocotyledonae Series: Epigynae Family: Musaceae Genera: Musa sp. Family comprises of 2 genera and 40 species. Habitat: predominantly found in wet tropical lowlands from West Africa to Pacific (Southern Japan to Queensland). Habit: large herbs, perennial, may reach up to 5 meters in height. Root: Adventitious originating from rhizome. Stem: Underground rhizome, pseudostems, perrenating, sheaths of the leaves arise from rhizome. Sheath of the leaves are bound around one another below looking like aerial stem. Leaves: Large, oval, stalked, sheath long and broad, blunt end, simple, midrib stout, spirally arranged, pinnate parallel venation. Inflorescence: Terminal inflorescence at aerial stem, simple or compound, spike or panicle or panicle, leathery bracts associated with spadix, large, sometimes coloured; each spathe enclosing clusters of flowers in two rows remains enclosed by spathe, uniparous cyme arrangement. Flowers: Large, brightly coloured, usually trimerous, unisexual, when bisexual male flowers develop at the upper end of inflorescence and female flowers in lower bract, epigynous, zygomorphic, incomplete, honey present. Perianth: No separate calyx and corolla, tepals – 5 arranged in two rows of three each, or coherent, petaloid, superior. In Musa sp, 5 tepals unite to form a tubular structure whereas boat shaped sixth posterior tepal is free. Androecium: Stamens - 6, 5 fertile and one posterior stamen absent or staminode (Musa), (Ravenala sp – all 6 fertile), free, filiform filament, anthers dithecous, introrse. Gynoecium: Carpels - 3, united, inferior and trilocular ovary, ovule one and basal (Heliconia) or numerous, axile placentation, single style, filiform, 3 lobes in stigma. Nectary is associated with male flower. Fruit: Berry (Musa) or capsule (Ravenala) or schizocarpic (Heliconia), in bunches. Seed: Hard, of deep colours, maybe endospermic or non-endospermic, perisperm is yellowish , absent in some cases. Economic Importance of Musaceae: 1. Food: Musa paradisiaca, banana eaten as fruit when ripe or as vegetable when green. 2. Medicinal: M. paradisiacal- Roots and stems (blood tonic, veneral diseases) Juice of flowers (Dysentry) Sap of stem (Nervous disease- hysteria, epilepsy) 3. Fibre: Fibre manila hemp or abaca extracted from Musa textilis. 4. Industrial: The ash of dried fruit skin of Musa sapientum, abundant in potash, used in soap industry. 5. Other: Leaves of Musa as plates used in South India.