The genus Musa is monecious, with flowers arranged in hands. Each hand develops in the axil of a primary bract, and consists of two rows of flowers. The entire inflorescence is made up of a definite number of female hands, a small number of transitional hands, and an indefinite number of male hands. The flowers consist of three sepals, three petals, two outer whorl stamen, two inner whorl stamen, and a tri-locular, inferior ovary. The adaxial petal is not opposed by an inner whorl stamen, resulting in only two stamen in this whorl. Flower organogenesis begins with the flattening of the flower primordium, the production of two bulges (the presumptive sepal primordia) in adaxial-lateral positions, and the growth of the periphery of the apex to produce the beginning of a floral cup. Growth of the periphery of the primordium, which deepens the floral cup, is accompanied by the differentiation of the adaxial side to produce three distinct primordia, two sepal and one petal. At about this stage, or slightly before, the abaxial sepal begins to be visible as a primordium that is partially distinct from the lower rim of the floral cup. Continued differentiation around the periphery of the flower begins the formation of the outer stamen whorl on the adaxial side of the flower, and produces two common petal/stamen primordia on the abaxial side. Growth of the common primordia produces distinct abaxial petal and inner stamen primordia. The adaxial petal continues to develop without the production of an associated stamen, though the inner flank of this primordium (the portion that forms a wall of the floral cup) does develop a slight swelling. Growth of the floral cup, below the insertion of the floral members, produces the cavity that forms the gynoecial primordia.

Key words: banana, development, floral, flower, morphology, Musa, Musaceae