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.