Musa cylindrica A.Joe, Sreejith & M.Sabu, 2014

Joe, Alfred, Sreejith, Puravannoor Edakkatillum & Sabu, Mamiyil, 2014, Musa cylindrica, a new species of Musa (Musaceae) from North-East India, Phytotaxa 172 (2), pp. 137-140 : 138-139

Musa cylindrica A.Joe, Sreejith & M.Sabu , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Similar to Musa acuminata and M. thomsonii , but differs from it in having almost cylindrical female bud, female bracts brown-purple with yellow apex, lamina base one round and other auriculated, one or two staminodes straight and others curved to one side.

Type: — INDIA. Meghalaya: Jaintia Hill District, Umkiang, Jamsara , 2 June 2011, 154 m, A . Joe & P. E . Sreejith 116176 (holotype: CALI!, isotypes: ASSAM!, CAL!) .

Plants slender, suckers 2–3, close to parent plant, 7–12 cm, vertically arranged. Mature pseudostem 2.2–3.5 m high, 40–45 cm circumference at the base, light green, covered with old brown dull leaf sheaths, underlying color light green with reddish-brown spots or patches, shiny, slightly glaucous towards apex, more glaucous on young plants, sap watery. Leaf habit intermediate, lamina 170–220 × 54–56 cm, oblong, truncate at apex, upper surface dark green, dull, lower surface medium green with yellow tinge, appearance shiny, leaf bases asymmetric, one side rounded and other auriculated, midrib dorsally light green, ventrally yellow-green, young leaves light green with purple patches abaxially and with purple midrib. Petiole 70–82 cm long, shiny, slightly waxy towards base, petiole wide with erect margins, brown-black blotches at the base, petiole bases winged and clasping the pseudostem. Inflorescence first pendulous and then slightly horizontal to sub-horizontal, peduncle 15–20 cm long, light green with some reddish-brown spots, glabrous without grooves. Sterile bracts 1–2, deciduous, 40–45 × 14–15 cm, adaxially green with purple base and abaxially cream with yellow tip, apex with leafy appendage. Female bud almost cylindrical, highly imbricate. Female bracts 30–32 × 13.5–15 cm, lanceolate, moderately grooved, brown-purple with yellow apex adaxially and abaxially cream with slight pink tinge, slightly glaucous outside, shiny inside, apex acute, lifting one bracts at a time, revolute 1/4 th before falling. Flowers 14–16 per bract in two rows, 9–10.5 cm long. Compound tepal 4.5–5.3 × 1.6–2.2 cm, creamy orange or light orange, ribbed at dorsal angles, lobes 5, dark orange, outer lobes much longer than inner, 0.6–0.8 cm long, marginal two lobes with small horns, ca. 0.3 cm long. Free tepal 2.4–2.8 × 1.5–2.5 cm, boat-shaped, cream, yellow towards apex and base, corrugated at apex with a small acumen. Staminodes 5, 2.6–2.9 cm long, cream, yellow towards base, one or two staminodes straight and others curved to one side, pushing the free tepal from the compound tepal. Ovary 5.5–6.2 cm long, straight, green, with ovules in 2 rows per locule, style straight, inserted, 3.2–3.5 cm long, cream, small pink spots towards apex, stigma globose, excerted, grey-brown, sticky. Male bud lanceolate, imbricate at apex, rachis falling vertically, red- purple. Male bracts 20–26 × 6.2–12 cm, lanceolate, moderately grooved, redpurple with yellow apex adaxially, cream abaxially, very little glaucous outside, apex acute, lifting one bract at a time, revolute before falling, bract scar prominent, male bud in advanced blooming lanceolate with somewhat acute apex, convolute, red-purple with yellow striations.. Male flowers on average 24 per bract in two rows, 5.2–6.7 cm long, falling with the bract. Compound tepal 4.7–5.5 × 1.2–1.6 cm, creamy orange or light orange, ribbed at dorsal angles, lobes 5, dark orange, outer lobes much longer than inner, ca. 0.6 cm long, marginal two lobes with small horns. Free tepal 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.9 cm, cream with orange tinge towards apex and base, oval shaped, not corrugated at apex and with a small acumen. Stamens 5, 3.1–4.5 cm long, excerted, filament cream, 2.2–2.6 cm long, anther cream, 1.8–2.3 cm long, apex curved backwards. Ovary rudiment, straight, 1.2–1.6 cm long, cream–whitish green, style straight, excerted, 4–4.6 cm long, cream, orange towards stigma, stigma orange. Fruit bunch compact, with 5–7 hands and 14–16 fruits per hand, in two rows, fingers pointed upwards in horizontal rachis. Seeds 96–110 per fruit.

Distribution: — Musa cylindrica is distributed in Umkiang, Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya, North-East India.

Ecology: —This species is growing as undergrowth and also in forest slopes. This species mainly found in moist ravines along with M. acuminata and M. thomsonii .

Etymology: —The specific epithet ‘ cylindrica ’ denotes the characteristic cylindrical nature of the female bud.

Flowering and fruiting: —June–December.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Musa cylindrica. A. habit. B. pseudostem. C. cross-section of petiole. D. leaf apex. E. leaf base. F. female bud at early stages. G. female bud. H. male bud at advanced blooming. I–M. female flower parts. I. entire flower. J. compound tepal. K. free tepal. L. flower without tepals. M. cross-section of ovary. N–P. male flower parts. N. entire flower. O. compound tepal. P. flower without tepals. Q. inflorescence. R. fruit bunch. S. seeds. Photos by Alfred Joe.