THE fruiting inflorescence or the 'stem' of the banana, which may weigh nearly 90 lb. (as in Musa acuminata c.v. Gros Michel), is a familiar object, but it nevertheless presents botanical problems and it is the end result of a remarkable sequence of growth events. An early attempt to illustrate and describe the origin and development of the inflorescence was that of White (1928). More recent works include those of Fahn (1953) and Alexandrowicz
(1955), which have been summarized by Simmonds (1959).
This paper will be presented in two parts. The first part will deal with the
origin of the inflorescence and the development of the flowers. This account is, therefore, a continuation of the study of the development from the transi• tion of the vegetative shoot apex to the flowering condition which has been described in the previous paper (Barker and Steward, 1962h). After present• ing the necessary anatomical observations in Part A, those features which appear to be especially significant in the light of current knowledge will be discussed. The second part (B) will describe the structural changes involved in the growth of the fruit from anthesis to maturity. First, a general descrip• tion of the mature inflorescence of the banana is appropriate.