Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 63 



MUSA, L. 



Stems of leaf sheaths convolute. Leaves oblong petioled or not. 

 Spike nodding or erect. Bracts ovate coloured large herbaceous leath- 

 ery. Flowers sessile several to each bract, lower ones female upper 

 ones male. Calyx tubular 3 to 5 toothed split down one side. Corol- 

 la as long tubular. Stamens 5 perfect, the 6th rudimentary or absent. 

 Filaments filiform, anthers linear erect 2 celled. Ovary 3 celled ovules 

 many. Style filiform, stigma capitate, 6 lobed. Fruit an oblong berry, 

 fleshy subtrigonous. Seeds angled numerous. 



Species 35. Tropics of the old world. 



Spikes decurved. 



Bracts lanceolate brown ... ... ... 1. M. Malaccensis, 



Bracts ovate yellow ... ... ... 2. M. flora. 



Spike erect. 



Bracts violet lanceolate ... ... ... 3. M. violascens. 



1. M. Malaccensis, Bidl. Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. II. III. p. 383. 

 Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. Br. Vol. 32, p. 182. Stems rather slender 10 

 feet or more tall, 6 inches through. Leaves about 8 feet long often 

 barred or splashed brown when young. Spike decurved, rachis covered 

 with brown haits. Bracts lanceolate subacute dark brown. Male 

 flowers Ik inch long curved white. Calyx boat-shaped with 5 teeth. 

 Corolla oblong white f inch long. Stamens with flattened filaments. 

 Female flowers 16 in a row. Stamens i inch long abortive. Style 

 thick 1 inch long. Fruit subcylindric 4 inches long yellow. Seeds 

 black angled enclosed in sweet white pulp. Baker Kew Bullet. 1894, 

 p. 249. 



M. zebrina, Flowre des Serres t. 1061, 1062. 



Common all over the hill districts. In woods, often in great 

 abundance . Endemic . 



Malacca: Panchur (Goodenough 1282), Ciiing ; Pahang, Tanjong 

 Gajah Mati, Pahang River (Ridley); Selangor: Kwala Lumpur (Ridley; 

 Perak: Larut Hills (Ridley 2949). Kamuning(Machado). ThePisang 

 Karok and Pisang Surong of the Malays. The fruit is quite eatable, 

 through the pulp is scanty, and is an important foodstuff of the Sakais. 

 The plant is orobably one of the species from which some of the culti- 

 vated bananas are derived. 



2. M. flava, Ridl. Trans. Linn. Soc. I.e. Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. 

 Br. Vol. 42, p. 183. Leaves large 16 inches across green. Spike 

 decurved pubescent. Bracts broadly ovate obtuse 4 inches long, l£ inch 

 wide bright yellow. Male flowers 16 in a row shortly pedicelled. 

 Calyx li inch long with 5 equal teeth. Corolla f inch long oblong 

 mucronate. Females 16 in a row. Fruit about 2 inches long 5 angled . 



Pahang, at Pulau Tijau, Pahang River (Ridley). Endemic. 



