Musa schizocarpa

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
Authorities	Simmonds 1956. The World Checklist of Monocotyledons lists Musa schizocarpa N.W.Simmonds, Kew Bull. 11: 474 (1956 publ. 1957) as an accepted name.
Section	Eumusa (Musa) 1
Distribution
Description
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 distinguished 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.