386 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1915 
the pitogo and the botoan, represent just as distinct species or 
forms as cavendishii, banksii, fitzalani, discolor, basjoo, ma- 
laccensis, or flava, accepted by Baker and others as representing 
good species, and logically some or all of the above should be 
reduced as varieties or Blanco’s varieties should be given specific 
rank. 
Synopsis of species of Musa known to occur in the Philippines. 1 '' 
a 1 . Stem not stoloniferous, but more or less swollen at base. 
b 1 . Bracts dark claret brown, seeds 2 cm in diam. ; plant becoming 10 m 
or more high; leaves sometimes 6 m long and 1 m broad with a 
red midrib Musa ensete Gmel. 
b \ Bracts green and persistent; seeds less than 0.25 cm in diam.; plant 
3.5 to 4 m high; leaves 2 m long and about 30 cm broad with glau- 
cous green midrib, the trunk heavily white-waxy.. Musa glauca Roxb. 
a 2 . Stem stoloniferous, not swollen at base. 
c 1 . Flowers few to a bract, the bracts bright red or tipped with yellow; 
spike small, dense, erect; height 1.5 m Musa coccinea Andr 
c 2 . Flowers numerous in a fascicle, the bracts not bright red; spike 
of great size and pendant; height 2 m or more. 
d 1 . Normally seminiferous species, with very small, fingerlike or 
slightly swollen inedible fruits, usually white or green bracts, 
which may be partially persistent, simple scales, and pistil in 
terminal flowers distinctly shorter than the stamens; trunks 
usually slender. 
e 1 . Scale more than three-fourths as long as perigonium, simply 
acute, without apical shoulders Musa textilis Nee. 
e 2 . Scale rarely two-thirds as long as perigonium; usually less 
acute, but with distinct apical shoulders. 
f. Bracts all freely deciduous; fruits subcylindric. 
Musa errans (Blanco). 
/ 2 . Bracts partially persistent; fruits subovate. 
Musa errans var. botoan var. nov. 
g 1 . Free margins of perigonium broadly inflated and largely 
covering the scale; pistil more or less completely divided 
into three separate styles and stigmas; scale with a very 
broad scarious margin; fruit small, obovoid and long- 
pedicelled Musa humilis Perr. 
g 2 . Free margins of perigonium straight or receding, never 
inflated; pistil not divided; scale with narrow scarious 
margin if any; fruit never obovoid in form. 
h 1 . Plant normal in size; petioles long, narrowly if at all 
margined, the leaf blades never crowded at the summit 
of the trunk. 
i 1 . Flesh sweet and edible uncooked; usually of medium 
and small size and yellow or red when ripe. 
Musa sapientum L. 
14 It will be recognized, that these synopses are provisional, merely based 
upon the local work as far as it has progressed. The sapientum-paradi- 
siaca-cavendishii complex is separated along commonly accepted lines, 
whether its components really represent good specific groups or not. 
