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Musa schizocarpa
Musa schizocarpa N. W. Simmonds, Kew Bulletin 11 (3): 463 - 489 (1956).
| Accepted name |
Musa
schizocarpa N. W. Simmonds, Kew Bulletin 11 (3): 463 - 489 (1956). |
| Synonyms |
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| Authorities |
Simmonds
1956. |
| Section |
Eumusa |
| Distribution |
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| Description |
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| References |
Argent 1976, GRIN, INIBAP, Novak 1992, Simmonds 1956, Stover 1972. |
| Comments |
This interesting species with dehiscent fruits has hybridised
with other Eumusa in Papua New Guinea.
From Simmonds 1956:
This very handsome species is
distiguished from all other Eumusas by its peeling fruits, a character which was
previously known in the sections Rhodochlamys (M. velutina Wendl. and
Drude, Cheesman, Kew Bull. 1949, 135, pl. 2) and Australimusa (M. lolodensis
Cheesman, Kew Bull. 1950, 28, pl. 1). Indeed I first took it to be an Australimusa
because of this character, its geographical origin, the somewhat polished sheaths and the
large seeds reminiscent of those of M. maclayi. However, it lacks the
polished imbricate bracts of that section and its chromosome number (Shepherd) is 2n = 22.
Simmonds also comments
that Musa schizocarpa is allied to Musa
fitzalani F. Muell. an extinct taxon from Queensland, Australia.Musa
schizocarpa is one of only six bananas currently known in which the fruit splits (or
dehisces or is schizocarpic) on maturity, the others are Musa hirta from Borneo,
Musa johnsii from Papua (Irian Jaya), Musa velutina from north-east India, Musa
lolodensis from Papua New Guinea, and Musella lasiocarpa from China and
northern Indo-China.
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