| |
Ensete gigantea
Ensete gigantea (C. E. O. Kuntze, Revisio Genera Plantarum 2: 691 (1891)) T. Nakai,
Bulletin of the Tokyo Science Museum 22: 12 (1948).
Accepted name |
none - species dubia |
Synonyms |
Musa gigantea C. E. O.
Kuntze, Revisio Genera Plantarum 2: 691 (1891). |
Authorities |
The authorities for the name, and synonym, being considered
as species dubia are Cheesman 1947a and Simmonds 1960. |
Distribution |
Sumatra. |
Description |
See
Musa gigantea for descriptions of the type of Ensete giganteum. |
References |
Cheesman 1947a : 104, Hotta 1989 : 67, Moore 1957 :
186, Nakai 1948 : 12, Simmonds
1960 : 200. |
Comments |
Hotta lists M. gigantea and E. gigantea as
synonyms of E. glaucum however according to Cheesman M. gigantea Kuntze
is species dubia. From Cheesman 1947:
Musa gigantea Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 691
(1891). Placed by Schumann in the subgenus Physocaulis "not without
hesitation". The plant described was in a Java garden, and said to be from
Sumatra. The habit suggests an Ensete sp. but the description of the fruit
suggests that the plant was virtually sterile, or else had received no pollen (which it
would not if the lower flowers were female only and the plant was growing alone). The 8 -
10 small (1 - 3 mm.) and pale seeds in a 3 - 4-angled, scarcely fleshy fruit strongly
suggest failure of fertilization. The must remain "species dubia"
until more is known about the fruit and seed. Backer does not mention it in his
excellent account of Musaceae in Flora van Java.
However, in his idiosyncratic English,
Takenosin Nakai comments that "Dr. Backer is sure of
this is Musa glauca (see Brittonia III-I, 77 (1938), but such fragmental type
specimen consists of pieces of few flowers makes one's easy mistake." While serving as Director of Buitenzorg (Bogor) Botanical
Gardens during WW II, Nakai set out to "get the real
information of this banana" but was merely shown "three spots where those giants had grown."
Despite this, Nakai remained convinced that "Musa
gigantea is still growing somewhere in Sumatra". Nakai was aware of Cheesman's 1947 revival of
the genus Ensete and obviously considered that that was where Musa gigantea
belonged thus creating the new combination Ensete gigantea and placing it with Ensete
glaucum in a new section he named Pruinensete.
Not that it matters much but Nakai should have changed the ending of the specific epithet
to make it Ensete giganteum and it is occasionally referred to as such. |
| |
|