Musa velutina subsp. markkuana M.Sabu, A.Joe & Sreej., 2013

Joe, Alfred & Sreejith, E., 2013, Musa velutina subsp. markkuana (Musaceae): a new subspecies from northeastern India, Phytotaxa 92 (2), pp. 49-54 : 50-54

Musa velutina subsp. markkuana M.Sabu, A.Joe & Sreej. subsp. nov. ( Figure 1 & 2 )

Similar to Musa velutina , but differs from it in having glabrous fruits, pseudostems with purple pigmentation, leaf lamina bases round, flowers with straight styles, the free tepal with an obtuse apex, both female, bisexual and male flowers present on one inflorescence, and fruits not splitting at maturity.

Type:— Arunachal Pradesh: West Kameng District, Elephant Village, Way to Bomdilla , 24 March 2012, 348 m, A . Joe & P. E . Sreejith 130833 (holotype CAL!, isotypes CALI!, ASSAM!, MH!) .

Plants slender, suckering freely but close to the main shoot, 7–12 cm, suckers 2–3, vertically arranged. Rhizomes globose, 9–11 cm long, 8–11 cm diam., with brown scale bracts. Mature pseudostems 1.1–1.6 m high, 6–10 cm diam. at the base, light green, covered with old brown waxy leaf sheaths, underlying color light green with pink-purple pigmentation, shiny, sap watery. Leaf habit intermediate, laminae 107–129× 45–47 cm, oblong-lanceolate, truncate at apex, upper surface dark green, dull, lower surface medium green, appearance shiny, leaf bases asymmetric, both sides rounded, midrib dorsally light green, ventrally red-purple, young leaves light green with purple patches. Petioles 55–66 cm long, waxy, petiole margins curved inward with purple black scarious margins and small brown-black blotches at the base, petiole bases winged and clasping the pseudostem. Inflorescences erect, peduncles 12–14 long, 2 cm in diam., maroon in colour, slightly puberulent with short hairs, grooves prominent. Sterile bract one, deciduous, 25–27 cm long, pink abaxially and adaxially. Female buds lanceolate, convolute. Bracts 16–18× 7–8 cm, moderately grooved, pink abaxially and adaxially, slightly puberulent outside, shiny inside, apex pointed, lifting two bracts at a time, revolute before falling. Basal 4–5 hands female and next to it one bisexual hand. Flowers 4–6 per bract in a single row, 7.3–7.5 cm long. Compound tepal 4.3–4.5× 1.7–1.9 cm, yellow, ribbed at dorsal angles with pink flush, lobes 5, orange. Free tepal 3.3–3.7× 1.6–1.9 cm, oval shaped, tinged with yellow, corrugated, apex obtuse. Staminodes 5, 1.4–1.7 cm long, cream. Ovary 3–4 cm long, straight, creamy white, soon changes to maroon, with ovules in 2 rows per locule, style straight, inserted, 2–3 cm long, cream, stigma globose, creamy yellow, ca. 4 mm diam. 5th hand hermaphrodite. Male bud lanceolate, rachises erect, convolute. Bracts 12–15× 6.5 cm, moderately grooved, pink abaxially, much darker adaxially, very little wax present, apex pointed, lifting 2 bract at a time, revolute before falling, the whole bud degenerating before maturity of fruits. Male flowers on average 7 per bract in one row, 6–6.5 cm long, falling with the bract, bract scars prominent. Compound tepal 5.2–5.4× 1.1–1.4 cm, yellow, ribbed at dorsal angles with pink flush, and with 5-toothed orange lobes. Free tepal 4.3–4.5× 1.2–1.6 cm, translucent cream tinged with yellow, oval shaped, corrugated, apex obtuse. Stamens 5, 4.6–4.8 cm long, exserted, filament white, 2.2–2.4 cm long, anther cream, 2.3–2.5 cm long. Ovary straight, 1.1–1.2 cm long, creamy white, soon changes to maroon, style straight, inserted, 4.6–4.8 cm long, stigma cream, ca. 1 mm diam. Fruit bunch compact, with 5 hands and 4–6 fruits per hand, in a single row, fingers pointed toward the male bud, individual fruit 6–10 cm long, pedicel. 1 cm long, glabrous, fruits straight, pronouncedly ridged, apex blunt-tipped, without any floral relicts, immature fruit peel color maroon, becoming light maroon or pink without black blotches, 3–4 mm thick, immature fruit pulp white, becoming white and soft at maturity, fruits deciduous, not self-peeling at maturity. Seeds verrucose, irregularly angular, 4–6 mm across, 2–3 mm high, brown-black except for the circum-hilar area, 70–80 per fruit. and fruiting the year.

Distribution and habitat:— Musa velutina subsp. markkuana occurs in Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. We found many fruiting plants from Balukpong area, West Kameng District, and Tezu and Hayulyang of Arunachal Pradesh ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology:— Subspecies epithet ‘ markkuana ’ is honours of Mr. Markku Häkkinen, Botany Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Finland, for his numerous contributions to the taxonomy of wild Musa . Ecology:— along road sides and in marshy areas. Additional specimens examined:— Pradesh:Lohit District, Tezu, way to Loilang, 06 July 2009, 213 m, Sanoj E. & R. Kumar 105627 (CALI!)., Lohit District, Tezu, Hayulyang road, Lalpani, 1481 m, 06 July 2009,

Sanoj E. & R. Kumar 105643 ( CALI!)., West Kameng District, Way to Sessa, Near Durga Mandir, 774 m, 24 March 2012 , A. Joe & P.E. Sreejith 130841 ( CALI!)., Way to Sessa, 720 m, 24 March 2012 , A. Joe & P.E. Sreejith 130846 ( CALI!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Musa velutina subsp. markkuana. A. habit. B. pseudostem. C. leaf base. D. inflorescence with young fruit and male bud. E. female flower. F. bisexual flower. G. male flower. H. ripe fruit. I. seeds. Photos by Alfred Joe.

FIGURE 2. Musa velutina subsp. markkuana. A. inflorescence. B. leaf base. C. cross-section of petiole. D. bract. E–I. female flower in parts: E. entire female flower. F. compound tepal. G. free tepal. H. gynoecium with staminodes. I. cross-section of ovary. J–K. bisexual flower in parts: J. entire bizsexual flower. K. gynoecium with androecium. L–P. male flower in parts. L. entire male flower. M. compound tepal. N. free tepal. O. stamen. P. pistillode. Q. hand of ripe fruit. R. seeds.

FIGURE 3. Map of Northeast India showing collecting localities of Musa velutina subsp. markkuana.