- A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great
size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain (M.
paradisiaca of Linnaeus, but probably not a distinct species), the
Abyssinian (M. Ensete), the Philippine Island (M. textilis, which
yields Manila hemp), and about eighteen other species. See Illust. of
Banana and Plantain.
Definition
[ n.]