Ensete giganteum

• Interesting Facts
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Musaceae

Herbs perennial or monocarpic , growing from sympodial rhizomes or a massive, sympodial corm. Pseudostems composed of closely packed leaf sheaths . Leaves spirally arranged , petiolate ; leaf blade entire, pinnately veined. Inflorescence terminal or rarely axillary , cymose . Bracts spirally arranged, often brilliantly colored , spathelike, large. Flowers bisexual or unisexual by abortion , zygomorphic. Perianth in 2 whorls; 3 outer tepals and 2 inner ones united into a compound tepal; third inner tepal free. Stamens 5, free ; anthers 2-loculed. Pistil 1; ovary inferior, 3-loculed; ovules numerous per locule, anatropous ; placentation axile . Style simple or capitate. Fruit a berry, fleshy or leathery and dry, indehiscent. Seeds hard, not arillate ; embryo straight, surrounded by a well-developed endosperm and a mealy perisperm .

Three genera and ca. 40 species: tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia; three genera (one endemic) and 14 species (four endemic, three introduced ) in China.[1]

Genus Ensete

Herbs monocarpic . Stem 1, remaining short until flowering. Pseudostem composed of clasping leaf sheaths , tall, base swollen to strongly so and jarlike. Leaves large, base often narrowed into a petiole ; leaf sheath lax ; leaf blade oblong . Inflorescence rosulate when young, becoming elongate and pendulous with age. Bracts green, usually persistent . Flowers in 2 rows per bract; flowers in proximal bracts female (with reduced stamens) or bisexual ; flowers in distal bracts male (with reduced gynoecium). Compound tepal linear , apex often 3-lobed, without 2 accessory teeth between lobes ; free tepal usually wider than compound one, apex often 3-cuspidate or entire. Stamens 5. Berries leathery, dry or with very scanty pulp. Seeds few, globose or irregular, often more than (0.5--) 1 cm in diam., usually smooth ; hilum conspicuous , irregular, usually deeply sunken .

Ten species: mainly in Africa, extending to S and SE Asia; two species (one endemic) in China.[2]

Taxonomy

Notes

Publishing author : Nakai Publication : Bull . Tokyo Sci. Mus. No. 22. 12 (1948)

Basionym author: (Kuntze)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Ensete

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 4 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

E. glaucum (Snow Banana) · E. superbum (Banana) · E. ventricosum (Abyssinian Banana) · E. ventricosum 'Maurelii' (False Banana)

More Info

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Further Reading

• Li Hsi-wen. 1981. Musaceae subfam. Musoideae. In: Wu Te-lin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 16(2): 1--14.
• Li Hsi-wen. 1981. Musaceae subfam. Musoideae. In: Wu Te-lin, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 16(2): 1--14.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 11, 2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 10720369
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15632430
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:584794-1
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 584794-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1340802

Footnotes

1. Delin Wu & W. John Kress "Musaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 314. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Ensete". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 314. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

Curator for this page: David Constantine. Date last reviewed: 12/30/1899

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.