musa sapientum

2 definitions found

musa sapientum - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Musa \Mu"sa\, prop. n.; pl. Musae. [NL., fr. Ar. mauz, mauza,
     banana.] (Bot.)
     A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great
     size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain
     (Musa paradisiaca of Linnaeus, but probably not a distinct
     species), the Abyssinian (Musa Ensete), the Philippine
     Island (Musa textilis, which yields Manila hemp), and about
     eighteen other species. See Illust. of Banana and
     Plantain.
     [1913 Webster]

  Banana \Ba*na"na\ (b[.a]*n[aum]"n[.a]; 277), n. [Sp. banana,
     name of the fruit.] (Bot.)
     A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum
     ); also, its edible fruit. See Musa.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The banana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves of
           great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches,
           covered with a sheath of a green or purple color; the
           fruit is five or six inches long, and over an inch in
           diameter; the pulp is soft, and of a luscious taste,
           and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is a
           native of tropical countries, and furnishes an
           important article of food.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Banana bird (Zool.), a small American bird (Icterus  leucopteryx
        ), which feeds on the banana.
  
     Banana quit (Zool.), a small bird of tropical America, of
        the genus Certhiola, allied to the creepers.
        [1913 Webster]