MUSA n.
A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain (M. paradisiaca of Linnæus, 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…
HEMP n.
g to the Mint family. -- Indian hemp. See under Indian, a. -- Manila hemp, the fiber of Musa textilis. -- Sisal hemp, the fiber of Agave sisalana, of Mexico and Yucatan. -- Sunn hemp, a fiber obtained from a leguminous plant (Crotalaria juncea). -- Water hemp, an annual American weed (Acnida cannabina), related to…
JAVA n.
Java coffee, a kind of coffee brought from Java. Java cat (Zoöl.), the musang. -- Java sparrow (Zoöl.), a species of finch (Padda oryzivora), native of Java, but very commonly kept as a cage bird; -- called also ricebird, and paddy bird. In the male the upper parts are glaucous gray, the head and tail black, the under…
MANILA; MANILLA a.
co grown in the Philippine Islands. -- Manila hemp, a fibrous material obtained from the Musa textilis, a plant allied to the banana, growing in the Philippine and other East India islands; -- called also by the native name abaca. From it matting, canvas, ropes, and cables are made. -- Manila paper, a durable brown o…
TREE n.
Rhaphigaster, and allied genera. -- Tree cat (Zool.), the common paradoxure (Paradoxurus musang). -- Tree clover (Bot.), a tall kind of melilot (Melilotus alba). See Melilot. -- Tree crab (Zoöl.), the purse crab. See under Purse. -- Tree creeper (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of arboreal creepers belonging to…