Musa rubra

Musa rubra Wall.ex Kurz

Family     :   Musaceae

Common Name  : താമരവാഴ(Mal)

          गणकसिका(Hin)

                                  Headache tree(Eng)

     IUCN status          :   Least concern (LC) -

Perennial stoloniferous rhizomatous herbs; pseudostems cylindrical 30-220 cm high, slender. Leaves in a terminal tuft at apex, 90-100 x 25-35 cm, oblanceolate, dark green with brown scarious margin, glabrous, bases symmetric, narrowing towards the base, acute or obtuse at apex, with a tendril-like appendage at young stage; petiole 22-40 cm long. Inflorescence erect, peduncle 15-30 cm long, green, densely puberulent; sterile bracts 1-2, persistent, linear-lanceolate, brick red with cream base.

Female bracts lanceolate, 12-17 x 6-8 cm, adaxially, red to brick red with yellow apex, base oblique, moderately grooved, apex acute; flowers 4-8 per bract in two rows, 6.7-8 cm long; fused tepal 2.8-3.3 x 1.8-2.1 cm, orange-yellow, ribbed at dorsal angles, divided only to the apex, lobes 5, dark orange-yellow; free tepal somewhat half of compound tepal, boat-shaped, cream tinged with yellow; staminodes 5, 1.2-1.6 cm long, yellow with cream apex; ovary 3.8-4.3 cm long, straight, green, with ovules in 2 rows per locule; style straight, 3-3.8 cm long; stigma globose, exserted, cream-grey. Male bracts 12-15 x 6.5 cm, highly grooved, red to brick-red with yellow apex, deciduous or persistent; flowers 6-8 per bract in two rows, 3-4.8 cm long, falling with the bracts or sometimes persistent with bracts, bract scar prominent; compound tepal 2.5-4 x 1.9-2.5 cm, orange-yellow, divided only to the apex, ribbed at dorsal angles, and with 5-toothed orange lobes; free tepal creamy orange, boat-shaped, corrugated at apex with a short acumen; stamens 5, 3-3.5 cm long, exserted; rudimentary ovary straight, 0.7-1.2 cm long. Fruit bunch compact, with 4-6 hands and 4-8 fruits per hand, in two rows, appressed to the rachis, fruit 3.5-7 cm long, straight, pronouncedly ridged, apex slightly pointed, yellow at maturity; pedicel, 2-3 mm long, glabrous; seeds 50-60 per fruit, 6-9 x 3-4 mm, globose, brown to black.