Musa x berteroi

Musa x berteroi L. A. Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa, 57 (1820).
Musa x berterii L. A. Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa, 57 (1820) ex S. Kurz J. Agric. Hort. Soc. Ind. Part 1. 5 (3), 112 - 168 (1877).
Musa x berteroniana E. G. von Steudel, Nom. ed. II, 2:167, sphalm. (1841).
Musa x berteroniana L. A. Colla ex P. A. Sagot Bull. Soc. Bot. France 34: 328 - 330 (1887).

Accepted name

none, an undetermined cultivated banana

or

Musa x paradisiaca L., Species Plantarum : 1043 (1753).

Synonyms

1. Musa alphurica G. E. Rumphius, Herbarium Amboinense 5: 130 & 138 (1750).
2. Musa ceramica G. E. Rumphius, Herbarium Amboinense 5: 130 & 138 (1750).
3. Musa x sapientum L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10: 1303 (1759).

Authorities

The synonyms are from:

1 & 2. Kurz 1877
3. Index Kewensis.

The World Checklist of Monocotyledons gives Musa x berteroi Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa: 57 (1820) as a synonym of Musa x paradisiaca L., Sp. Pl.: 1043 (1753) which is given as an accepted name.

Section  
Distribution

Polynesia, Tonga.

Description  
References

Champion 1967 : 39, Cheesman 1948c, Colla 1820, Index Kewensis via IPNI, Kurz 1877 : 138, Sagot 1887 : 329

Comments Published as Musa berteroi the "x" is added to indicate its presumed hybridity.  In this context Musa x paradisiaca is effectively the same as "an undetermined cultivated banana".  This should not be read as implying that Musa x berteroi is Musa (AAB group) 'French' plantain, Cheesman's identification of Musa x paradisiaca L. (Cheesman 1948).

This banana was originally named by Rumphius as Musa alphurica/Musa ceramica in Herbarium Amboinense (1741 - 1750).  Sulpiz Kurz says that Luigi Colla simply copied Rumphius and "rechristened" the plant Musa berterii in 1820.  This is typical Kurz because Colla actually called the plant Musa berteroi.  A further transliteration seems to have been perpetrated by von Steudel who rechristened the plant again as Musa berteroniana. Sagot then attributed the name Musa berteroniana to Colla.

Not that it matters much in this context but Kurz's name is sometimes spelled "Musa berteri". According to the ICBN, epithets derived from words ending in "er" should have only a single "i" after them, not two.

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last updated 30/04/2008