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Musa acuminata banksii
Musa acuminata L. A. Colla subsp. banksii (F. J. H. von Mueller) N. W.
Simmonds, Kew Bulletin 11 (3): 463 (1956).
| Accepted name |
Musa banksii F. J. H. von
Mueller, Fragm., 4: 132 (1863 - 4). or
Musa acuminata L. A. Colla subsp. banksii (F. J. H. von Mueller) N. W.
Simmonds, Kew Bulletin 11 (3): 463 (1956). |
| Synonyms |
1.
Musa paradisiaca subsp. seminifera (J. de Loureiro) J. G. Baker
2. Musa banksii (F. J. H. von Mueller) var. muelleriana K. Domin
3. Musa banksii Muller (Benth. Flor. Australiæ).
4. Musa banksiana S. Kurz |
| Authorities |
There
is debate as to the status of this taxon. The authority for M. banksii as
the accepted name is Argent 1976 and Simmonds & Weatherup 1990. The authority
for Musa acuminata subsp. banksii as the accepted name is Shepherd 1990.
Synonyms:
1 & 2 are from Simmonds 1956.
3 is from Sagot 1887 and may simply be a typographical error, i.e. Muller = Mueller.
4 is from Kurz but I think this is also simply a typographical error on p. 164 for
Musa banksii mentioned on p. 162. |
| Section |
Eumusa |
| Distribution |
Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands (and Australia?) |
| Description |
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| References |
Argent 1976 : 87, APNI, Balick & Cox 1996 : 85-86, Cheesman 1947 b : 109, GRIN, Hotta 1989, Jarrett 1986, Shepherd 1990, Simmonds 1956
: 463, Simmonds & Weatherup 1990
: 570, Stover & Simmonds 1987. |
| Comments |
Simmonds
1956 treated this taxon as a subspecies of Musa acuminata but Argent 1976
considered that it is "premature to assume a cline linking M. banksii with
[Malaysian] forms of M. acuminata" and gave it specific status. A
numerical taxonomic study by Simmonds and Weatherup 1990 tends to support Argent's
contention that M. banksii is best treated as a species. However,
Shepherd (1990, p. 158) considers that Argent's separation of M. banksii was made
on "quite erroneous" grounds and treats it as a subspecies of M. acuminata.
Simmonds gives the Samoan vernacular name for this plant as 'Fa'i taemanu' which he
translates as 'wild banana' (fa'i = banana). A somewhat more robust translation of
'tae manu' as 'animal excrement' is provided by Balick & Cox. Unsurprisingly in
the circumstances, the Samoans consider the seeded fruit to be a famine food only. |
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