410 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1915 
The saba and the sabang Iloco, together with the kadismon, 
moco, mundo, and other related forms, constitute a well marked 
group, which is clearly distinct from all of our other bananas. 
I include them in sapientum for the present, but further study 
may show them to be specifically distinct. 
MUSA SAPIENTUM L. var. GRANDIS var. nov. Sabang Iloco. Plate 
XIV, figs. 1-3. 
Plant reaches a height of from 350 to 360 cm and has a diam- 
eter of from 22 to 22.5 cm at the base ; the trunk is large, cylin- 
drical, green, and has from 3 to 5 flowering stems in a stool. 
The leaves are deep green, shiny above and glaucous below; 
the mature blades are from 230 to 232 cm long and from 66 to 
70 cm wide; the petioles are from 55 to 60 cm long. 
The spike usually bears 5 hands of mature fruits ; the spathe 
is 53 cm long and 22 cm wide, red, and longitudinally pitted 
inside, green and glaucous outside. 
The flowers (Plate XIV, figs. 1, 2, and 3) are large, 9 cm long 
and 2 cm wide, usually 13 or 14 in a fascicle; the perigonium is 
purplish, with shallow sinuses; the scale purple, obovate, with 
thin margin and long acuminate tip, rounded on the surface with 
occasional wrinkles at the base, often shouldered but shallowly 
so, stamens shorter than perigonium or pistil, two-thirds as long 
as perigonium; the stigma is oblong. 
The fruits are the largest of all the varieties here placed under 
this species, from 21 to 22 cm long and from 6 to 7 cm in 
diameter, oblong in shape, 5-angled, narrowing to the tip, with 
long pedicel (often 5 cm) , usually 13 or 14 fruits in a hand, deep 
green when unripe and yellow when ripe; pulp reddish white, 
coarse and spongy; skin thick; usually seedless, palatable when 
cooked. The average weight of a mature fruit is 262.4 grams. 
MUSA CAVEN DISH 1 1 Lamb. 
This species was named M. chinensis by Sweet and M. sinensis 
by Sagot. Southern China is said to be its native home. Culti- 
vated in Mauritius and introduced to England in 1827. Now 
extensively grown in all tropical and subtropical countries. 35 
Baker’s description of this species is as follows: 36 
*9. M. cavendishii, Lamb. M. chinensis, Sweet (name only) ; North 
Gallery, Nos. 225, 816; M. sinensis, Sagot. Stoloniferous. Whole plant 4-6 
feet high; leaves 6-8 inches in a dense rossette, spreading, oblong, 2-3 feet 
long, about a foot broad, much rounded at the base, rather glaucous; 
35 Kew Bull., Add. ser. VI pt. 2 (1906) 16. 
30 Kew Bull., Add. ser. VI pt. 2 (1906) 16. 
