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The Musaceae

An annotated list of the species of Ensete, Musa and Musella.

Summary Section 1

This section summarises the information presented in the main pages. 

The first section is a list of the extant species of the Musaceae.  

The second section is a list of published species names cross referenced with the accepted name for the taxon, if there is one.  Good species are in bold in blue.   Good subspecies are in blue.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me at drc@globalnet.co.uk

David Constantine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species of the Musaceae

The largest genus, Musa, has historically been divided into six sections viz., Australimusa, Callimusa, Ingentimusa, Eumusa (Musa) 1, Eumusa (Musa) 2 and Rhodochlamys. These sections do not have formal taxonomic significance but they are useful in discussing relationships between bananas.  The five sections have recently been reduced to three.  Previously the 2n = 20 chromosome species were separated into the sections Australimusa and Callimusa and the 2n = 22 chromosome species were separated into the sections Eumusa (Musa) and Rhodochlamys.  Studies by Carol Wong and colleagues in Singapore (Wong et al 2002) have revealed that genetic differences between each section in the same chromosome group are smaller than those within each section.  This means that the traditional separation of the sections can no longer be substantiated.  The studies of Wong et al do, however, maintain the separation between the 20 and 22 chromosome species.  The 2n = 14 Musa ingens remains in its own section.  The morphological differences that once supported the separation of the sections are no longer considered important in determining sectional status.  My attempt to sort the species into traditional sections is here.  It remains to be seen whether Carol Wong's results are substantiated.
 

This simplification of the sections within the genus Musa and particularly the stress on chromosome number considerably simplifies the placement of certain newly described species.  Not that everything is completely tidy.  There remain a few questions to be answered. 

NOTE  This table will need to be modified to take into account the proposed 'acuminata' and 'ornata' groups within Sect. Musa, and the 'coccinea' and 'textilis' groups within sect. Callimusa as defined by Wong et al Gardens' Bulletin (Singapore), 55 (1) : 97-111. (2003).

Genus	Chromosome number (x = 1n)	Section (genus Musa only)	Distribution	Species	Main uses
Ensete	9	-	Africa to Papua New Guinea.	E. agharkarii  [see note] E. gilletii E. glaucum E. homblei E. livingstonianum  [see note] E. perrieri E. superbum E. ventricosum E. wilsonii  [see note] E. Banta, Thailand  [see note]	Food staple, fibre, thatch, construction, beads, medicinal & ornamental.
Musa	7	Ingentimusa	Papua New Guinea	M. ingens	not known
	10	Callimusa (incl. Australimusa)	Indo-China, Queensland, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines.	M. alinsanaya M. azizii M. barioensis M. bauensis M. beccarii  [see note] M. boman M. borneënsis M. bukensis M. campestris  [see note] M. coccinea  [see note] M. exotica  [see note] M. fitzalanii  extinct] M. flavida M. gracilis M. hirta  [see note] M. insularimontana  [see note] M. jackeyi M. johnsii M. lawitiensis  [see note] M. lokok  [see note] M. lolodensis M. maclayi M. monticola M. muluensis M. paracoccinea M. peekelii M. pigmaea  [see note] M. sakaiana  [see note] M. salaccensis M. splendida  [see note] M. textilis M. tuberculata M. violascens M. voonii	Fibre, fruit (fe'i bananas), ornamental.
	11	Eumusa (Musa) (incl. Rhodochlamys)	India, Indo-China to Samoa.	M. acuminata M. assamica  [see note] M. aurantiaca M. balbisiana M. banksii  [see note] M. basjoo M. cheesmanii M. flaviflora  [see note] M. formosana  [see note] M. griersonii M. halabanensis M. itinerans M. laterita M. lutea M. mannii M. nagensium M. ochracea M. ornata  [see note] M. rosea M. rubra M. sanguinea M. schizocarpa M. siamea [see note] M. sikkimensis M. thomsonii  [see note] M. tonkinensis M. velutina  [see note] M. viridis M. yunnanensis	Fruit, fibre, vegetable, wrapping, ornamental.
		unplaced		M. celebica  [see note] M. discolor  [see note] M. dulcissima  [see note] M. jaheri  [see note] M. kattuvazhana  [see note] M. lanceolata  [see note] M. nana  [see note] M. x paradisiaca  [see note] M. pruinosa  [see note] M. rectispica  [see note] M. sumatrana  [see note] M. tomentosa  [see note] M. trichocarpa  [see note] M. toglodytarum  [see note]
Musella	9	-	China (Yunnan & Guixhou) Vietnam, Laos.	M. lasiocarpa M. splendida [see note]	Animal fodder, vegetable, medicinal & ornamental

Originally based on a Table 1.1 in Stover & Simmonds 1987 but modified substantially after Wong et al 2002.

Notes:

• Ensete agharkarii is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Ensete livingstonianum is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Ensete wilsonii (Tutcher) Cheesman should probably be reduced under Ensete glaucum (Roxb.) Cheesman.

• Ensete Banta, Thailand.  First introduced into cultivation by John Banta there is an Ensete sp. in Thailand that is phenotypically similar to Ensete superbum.  Whether this is a new species or a disjunct population of E. superbum is not yet known.

• The section name Eumusa is very commonly used in the literature but following article 32 of the the ICBN it is illegal and the section should properly be named section Musa.  Eumusa is widely used to prevent confusion between the genus Musa and the section Musa.  By convention taxa above the genus level are not commonly italicised.

• Musa assamica is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa banksii F. Muell. seems to be confirmed as a species by Simmonds & Weatherup 1990 supporting the conclusion of Argent 1976 although Shepherd 1999 disagrees.

• Musa beccarii Simmonds still seems somewhat anomalous.  Shepherd 1999 gives the chromosome number as x (= 1n) = 9 and 10, the latter due to multivalent formation during meiosis.  Although in Wong et al's study it nestles comfortably within section Callimusa the chromosome number needs clarification.

• Musa celebica is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa coccinea Andrews has been confirmed by Liu et al 2002 and by Argent and Kiew 2002 as the correct name for the plant often called Musa uranoscopos Lour. in the literature.

• Musa discolor is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa dulcissima is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa exotica Valmayor is newly described from Vietnam where it is known as Chuoi Rung Hoa Do.  It has the correct chromosome number for section Callimusa.

• Musa flaviflora Simmonds (one of the "parents" of M. ornata according to Shepherd 1990) should perhaps be treated as a sub-species of Musa acuminata Colla according to Simmonds & Weatherup 1990.

• Musa formosana is probably a form of Musa basjoo.

• Musa hirta Becc. is a good species although somewhat enigmatic and its affinities with M. beccarii suggest it belongs with that species in section Callimusa.

• Musa insularimontana Hayata endemic to a single island off Taiwan is poorly known.   It is close to M. textilis and is perhaps vulnerable to reduction.

• Musa jaheri is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa kattuvazhana is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa lanceolata is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa nana is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but it is not.

• Musa ornata Roxb. seems to be a "secondary species" according to Shepherd 1999, a relic of a hybrid swarm between M. flaviflora and M. velutina.

• Musa x paradisiaca is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but it is not!

• Musa pigmaea Hotta (nomen nudum as yet) is thought to be a good species although enigmatic.   Its reported affinity with M. beccarii suggest it belongs with that species in section Callimusa.

• Musa pruinosa is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa rectispica is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa siamea is likely to be elevated from M. acuminata subsp. siamea if Wong et al's genetic results are confirmed.

• Musa splendida A. Chev. is poorly known.  A plant known in Vietnam as Chuoi gai, a name given by Chevalier for M. splendida, seems identical with M. paracoccinea and differs from Chevalier's description of M. splendida.

• Musa sumatrana is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa thomsonii Noltie is a good species although very poorly known. 

• Musa tomentosa is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa trichocarpa is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but I am doubtful.

• Musa troglodytarum is listed by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons as a good species but it is not.

• Musa velutina Wendl. & Drude may be the same as Musa dasycarpa Kurz in which case the latter would have priority.
   

• Musella splendida Valmayor and Danh is a supposed new species from Vietnam but doubtfully distinct from Musella lasiocarpa.
  
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last updated 17/10/2008