Musa uranoscopos
Musa uranoscopos G. E. Rumphius, Herbarium Amboinense, 5: 137 (1750).
Musa uranoscopos J. de Loureiro, Flora Cochinchinensis, 645 (1790).
Musa uranoscopos L. A. Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa: 59 (1820), nom. illeg.
Musa uranoscopus B. C. Seeman, Fl. Vit.: 290 (1868).
Musa uranoscopos G. E. Rumphius, Herbarium Amboinense, 5: 137 (1750).
Accepted name none - undetermined cultivated form of a Fe'i banana. Synonyms Musa troglodytarum L. in part. Authorities Cheesman 1948a. Section Australimusa Distribution Description References Cheesman 1948a : 11-12, Cheesman 1950q : 29, Merrill 1935 : 116, Sagot 1887 : 329. Comments Rumphius is a pre-Linnean author who gave the first detailed description of bananas in volume 5 of Herbarium Amboinense (1747) pages 125 - 140 which is available online at Botanicus at http://www.botanicus.org/page/244763 to http://www.botanicus.org/page/244780. The section on bananas is divided into 7 headings.
Heading 1. A history and general description of bananas.
Heading 2. Rumphius categorises the bananas of Ambon into three main types to which he gives Latinised names viz:
1. cultivated or domesticated bananas, Musa sativa or domestica or hortensis
2. a semi-wild (or semi-domesticated) seedy banana, Musa alphurica
3. two wild bananas, Musa silvestris, of which one is seedless.Under the general heading Musa domestica (domesticated bananas) he lists 16 types most of which he identifies only by a local name but three of which are given Latin names:
no. 1 Musa corniculata or Pissang Tando, Pissang Carbou, Pissang Ocky Ocky
no. 2 Pissang Gabba Gabba
no. 3 Pissang Crobo or Cro (further subdivided)
no. 4 Pissang Djernang
no. 5 Pissang Culit Tabal, Pissang Baratsjo
no. 6 Musa mensaria or Pissang Medji
no. 7 Musa regia or Pissang Radja
no. 8 Pissang Mera, Pissang Cutsjupau
no. 9 Pissang Salpicado
no. 10 Pissang Swangi
no. 11 Pissang Batu, Pissang Bidji
no. 12 Pissang Abu, Pissang Soldado, Pissang Alphuru
no. 13 Pissang Bombor
no. 14 Pissang Canaya Puti
no. 15 Pissang Canaya Kitsjil
no. 16 Pissang BulangIt seems to me that Rumphius did not mean Musa domestica to define a single species but a category of bananas.
Heading 3. The horticulture of bananas.
Heading 4. A treatment of Musa uranoscopos, a domesticated type treated separately apparently on account of its upright inflorescence and rarity.
Heading 5. The semi-wild (or semi-domesticated), seedy Musa alphurica or ceramica or Pissang alphuru.
Heading 6. A wild banana Musa simiarum or Pissang Jacki (the Monkey banana) of which there are two types, small and large.
Heading 7. The wild bananas proper, Musa silvestris or Pissang Utan.Musa urnoscopos is a pre-Linnaean name for a clone of a Fe'i banana and not to be confused with Musa uranoscopos Lour. (see below).
E. D. Merrill commented on Rumphius' plant and it's distinction from Loureiro's in his commentary on Loureiro's Flora Cochinchinensis. "From the local name cited by Loureiro it appears that his specimens were from Indo-China. His description is manifestly based on actual specimens, not on the pre-Linnaean Musa uranoscopos Rumph. (Herb. Amb. 5: 137), cited as a synonym and the source of his specific name. In my work on Rumphius (p. 149) I referred this to Musa paradisiaca Linn. But I am now convinced that what Rumphius actually had was a form of Musa fehi Bert. as he describes it as having erect inflorescences; the term uranoscopos used by Rumphius is merely a translation of the Malay toncat langit, literally meaning to look at or watch the sky."
Cheesman 1948a gives Musa uranoscopus as Rumphius' spelling for this plant. I think Cheesman is merely Latinising the spelling of the Greek uranoscopos.
Musa uranoscopos Rumph. was re-named by Linnaeus as Musa troglodytarum although confusingly he also included what we now know as Musa balbisiana Colla within that entity.
Musa uranoscopos J. de Loureiro, Flora Cochinchinensis, 645 (1790).
Accepted name none - undetermined cultivated form of a Fe'i banana. Synonyms Musa troglodytarum L. in part. [Musa coccinea Andrews is not a synonym]
Authorities See comments below. The World Checklist of Monocotyledons lists Musa uranoscopos Lour., Fl. Cochinch.: 645 (1790), nom. illeg. as a synonym of Musa coccinea Andrews, Bot. Repos. 1: t. 47 (1799) which is given as an accepted name.
Section Australimusa Distribution Description References Argent 1984, Argent & Kiew 2002, Backer & Bakhuizen 1968, Baker 1893 : 220, Champion 1967 : 43, Cheesman 1950q : 29, Flora Guandong, Flora of China, Graf Exotica & Tropica, Griffiths 1994, GRIN, Huxley 1992, INIBAP, Makino 1979, Merrill 1935 : 116, Mobot Tropicos, Moore 1957 : 181, RHS 1956, Wu & Kress 2000. Comments Loureiro's description of Musa uranoscopos is at http://www.botanicus.org/page/654338. Musa uranoscopos Lour. is consistently linked with M. coccinea in the literature although the relationship between the two is confused. Argent & Kiew 2002 have recently argued that M. uranoscopos Lour. is effectively the same as M. uranoscopos Rumph. and that M. coccinea is the correct name for the red flowered Callimusa in cultivation. In this interpretation M. uranoscopos Lour. is not a synonym of M. coccinea Andrews. Musa uranoscopos Lour. is essentially the same as M. uranoscopos Rumph.
Musa uranoscopos L. A. Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa: 59 (1820), nom. illeg.
Accepted name none - an undetermined cultivated form of a Fe'i banana. Synonyms Musa troglodytarum L. in part. Authorities The World Checklist of Monocotyledons lists Musa uranoscopos Colla, Mem. Gen. Musa: 59 (1820), nom. illeg. as a synonym of Musa troglodytarum L., Sp. Pl. ed. 2: 1477 (1763) which is given as an accepted name.
Section Australimusa Distribution Description References Colla 1820 Comments Musa uranoscopus B. C. Seeman, Fl. Vit. : 290 (1868).
Accepted name none - an undetermined cultivated form of a Fe'i banana. Synonyms Musa troglodytarum L. in part. Authorities The World Checklist of Monocotyledons lists Musa uranoscopus Seem., Fl. Vit.: 290 (1868), sensu auct. as a synonym of Musa troglodytarum L., Sp. Pl. ed. 2: 1477 (1763) which is given as an accepted name.
Section Australimusa Distribution Description References Anon 1906 : 18, Baker 1893, De Wildman 1912 : 47, Seeman 1868. Comments Seeman's description of Musa uranoscopus is at http://www.botanicus.org/page/817163. Seeman gives the spelling as "M. uranoscopus". I think Seeman is merely Latinising the spelling of the Greek uranoscopos. Musa uranoscopos Seem. is essentially the same as M. uranoscopos Rumph.
last updated 12/05/2008