i i. Fi UNIVERSITY OF ILLIN0I8-URBANA A Synopsis N301 12009972271 A of tJic enem and Species of Museae KY J. G. BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S. KEEPER OF THE HERBARIUM, ROYAL GARDENS, KEW Reprinted from ‘Annals of Botany,' Vol. VII Eonbon HENRY FROWDE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE AMEN CORNER, E.C. 1893 Y , i PRICE ONE SHILLING AND SIXPENCE NET Bota/\r ^ .•) Var. M. Champa, Hort. Stem and midrib of the leaf red. Fruit pale straw-yellow, about 6 in. long, very luscious and delicate in flavour. Var. M. martabanica, Hort. Fruit as in Champa, but midrib of leaf not red ; border of petiole red-brown. Var. M. Dacca, Horan. Prodr. 41. Stem pruinose. Leaves paler-geen than in the type, glaucous beneath ; border of the petiole red. Fruit 4 in. long by half as broad, remaining tightly on the branch, its tip and stalk bright green ; skin very thick. One of the common Indian forms. Var. M. rubra, Firminger, non Wallich. Stem, petiole, flowers and midrib of leaf dull red. Fruit about 7 in. long, at first dark red, ripening to yellowish red. Indian name Ram- Kela. Var. vittata, Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 5402 ; M. vittata^ Ackerm. in Flore des Serres, t. 15 10-15 13. Leaves and long fruits copiously striped with white. Spathes bright red inside. Imported from the island of St. Thomas, West Africa. Subsp. 2. M. paradisiaca, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1477 ; Trew, Ehret. t. 18-20; Red Lil. t. 443-4; Tussac, FI. Antill. t. 1-2 ; Rich, in Nova Acta, XV, Suppl. t. i ; M. Cliffortiana, Linn. Mus. Cliff. I, t. i. Male flowers and bracts less deciduous. Fruit cylindrical, |-i ft. long, with firmer and less saccharine pulp, not fit to eat without cooking. Cultivated universally in the tropical zone. Subsp. 3. M. seminifera. Lour. FI. Cochinch. 644; AI. sapientuyn, Roxb. Corom. PI. t. 275 ; M. sapientiwi and Troglo- dytarum, Gaertn. Fruct. t. ii; AI. balbisiana, Colla, Monogr. Musa, 56 (Rumph. Amboin. t. 60, fig. 3). Fruits small, oblong, full of seeds, not eatable, yellowish or greenish. These names and figures apparently represent the wild seed- bearing form of AI. sapientum, and if so it extends in a wild state from Behar and the Eastern Himalayas to the Philippine and Malay isles. The Chittagong plant figured by Roxburgh grows in very soft soil and has tall lanky stems. Kurz, in Journ. Afric. Hort. Soc. Ind. V, 164, distinguishes two species, AT. sapienfum, with spathes often crimson inside, seeds tur- binate-globular to polyhedrons, tubercled, not above I- in. diam. and AP. sikkimensis, with dull purple spathes and seeds de- 214 Baker, — A Synopsis of the pressed and irregularly angled, tubercled, 4-5 lines diam. Of the latter we have careful sketches made on the spot by Sir J. D. Hooker and it has been widely distributed as Musa No. 5 of Hooker, and Thomson’s Indian plants. Pierre, in Sagot’s monograph, describes in detail three forms from Cochin China. M. zehrina^ Flore des Serres, t. 1061-2, is, apparently, a dwarf form of this subspecies, with leaves copiously blotched with black. Dr. King distinguishes four wild seminiferous forms in Sikkim as follows, viz. : — 1. pruinosa (Relmg of the Lepchas). Stem 10-25 ft. long. Leaves very glaucous beneath, bracts deep violet purple, glaucous outside, red inside, persistent, subtending the fruit ; fruit about 5 in. long by ij in. diam., permanently angled, seeds ^ in. diam., pulp very scanty. Altitude 1500-3500 feet. 2. duhia (Luxon of the Lepchas). Stem shorter, leaves not glaucous beneath, bracts deep lurid purple not glaucous outside, purplish-red inside, lower bracts deciduous ; fruit 3-4 in. long, i-i|- in. diam. with 5-6 prominent ribs, seeds J-J in. diam., pulp more copious. Altitude 1500-5500 feet. 3. Hookeri {Tiang-moo-foo-goon of the Lepchas). Stem 10-14 ft. long, tinged with red, leaves bright green on both sides, tinged with purple when young, bracts purple on both sides, glaucous outside, lower deciduous; fruits 5-6 in. long 2 in. diam., prominently angled ; seeds 4-5 in. diam., pulp scanty. Common between 4500 and 5500 feet. 4. Thomsoni {Kergel of the Lepchas). Stem green, 12-15 ft. long, leaves glaucous only when young, conspicuously cuspidated at the apex, bracts ovate, outside with vertical streaks of yellow and purplish-brown, yellow inside ; fruit 2 J in. long, J in. diam. faintly ribbed; seeds few, black, soft, ^ in. diam. surrounded by copious sweet pulp. Does not rise above 1500 feet. Dr. King thinks the two latter forms as likely to be distinct specifically from sapientum. His Hookeri is probably M, sikki- mensis, Kurz. Subsp. 4. M. Troglodytarum, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1478; M. Uranoscopos, Rumph. Amboin. V, 137, t. 61, fig. 2. Fruits 215 Genera ajid Species of ATuseae. small, crowded on the erect axis of the panicle, obovoid- oblong or nearly round, reddish-yellow, containing rudimentary seeds. Flesh sweet, yellow. Wild in India, Ceylon and the Malay isles, the favourite food of elephants. The above names have often been applied to forms of other species than sapi~ entum, with a similar habit, such as AL Fehi. For fuller information about the cultivated Bananas refer- ence may be made to Rumph. Amboin. V, 125-137 ; Blanco, FI. Filip, p. 239-246 ; Firminger s Manual of Gardening in India, ed. 3, p. 177; Bojer’s Hortus Mauritianus, p. 331; Sagot, in Journ. Soc. Nat. Hortic. France, pp. 238-285 ; and Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. N. S. V, pp. 112-163. I know nothing definite about AT. arakanensts, Ripley, in Proc. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. X, 51, a form yielding excellent fruit and fibre of poor quality. There are wild, seed-bearing Bananas in the Solomon Islands, Guppy \ and Timor Laut, H. 0. Forbes \ for the exact determination of which fuller material is needed. 16. M. acuminata, Colla, Monogr. Musa, 66 ; AI. simiarum (Rumph. Amboin. 138, tab. 61, fig. i); Miquel, FI. Ned. Bat. V, 589 ; Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. XIV, 297 : AI. Rumphiana^ Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. V, 164. Stem long, cylindrical, stoloniferous at the base. Leaves oblong, 5-6 ft. long, glaucous beneath, deltoid at the base, firmer than those of AI. sapientum\ petiole i-ij ft. long, almost without any membranous edge. Panicle drooping, shorter than the leaves ; male flowers deciduous ; bracts lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, violet, only one of those of the female flowers, opened at once and revolute, those of the male clusters involute at the edge. Calyx white or yellowish, 1- i:| in. long; petal ovate-acuminate, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruits in 4-6 clusters of 10-12 each, oblong, rostrate, 2- 4 in. long, i-i^ in. diam. ; skin not easily peeled off ; flesh sweet. Seeds dull black, angled by pressure, ^ in. diam. Common in Java and the other Malay islands, extending eastward to New Guinea. Kurz, who has studied this species carefully on the spot, says that a large proportion of the Bananas which are cultivated in the Malay archipelago are derived from it and that its best varieties are superior to all 2I6 Baker, — A Synopsis of the those derived from M. sapientum, in quality and delicacy. Typical M. acuminata is wild and has fruits full of seed. From this several seedless cultivated varieties are immediately derived, differing in the colour of the leaves and fruit. They all have the leaves glaucous beneath, and in one form the waxy bloom is so copious that torches are made from it. Var. violacea, Kurz, has stems, leaves and flowers more or less tinged with dark purple, and purple 3-5-angled fruits with a thick beak. Its native name is Peesang teemhaya or Peesang hoorang (Copper, or crab plantain). Var. culta^ Kurz, is larger in all its parts, with much larger whitish or yellowish flowers and longer cylindrical or angled yellow or greenish seedless fruits. Of this there are 48 distinguishable varieties, of which the most curious is the Duck Plantain {Peesang moolook behbek), the fruit of which has a beak nearly as long as its body. There is a fine series of these forms dried by Kurz from the Buitenzorg garden in the Calcutta herbarium and I refer here M. paradi- siaca, Zollinger, PI. Jav. Exsic. No. 3530. Probably M. Berterii^ Colla, Monogr. Musa, 57 ; M. aphurica (Rumph. Amboin. V, 138, tab. 61, fig. 3), Miquel, FI. Ned. Bat. Ill, 589, which has green and leaf-like lower bracts and pale yellow ripe fruit a span long, is a variety of this species. I know nothing of M. Karang, Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. V, 164, of which the fruits are said to be angular, short, and thick-beaked, and the bracts yellow inside. A plant collected in the Andaman Islands by Kurz, with long-stalked rostrate fruits full of seed not more than an inch long including the beak, ^ in. diam. when dried, and two numbers of his Burmese collection (Pegu, Yomah, 3282, 3283), with distinctly rostrate fruits full of seed, 2-2 1 in. long without any angles wFen ripe, may be forms of M, acuminata^ but require further study in a living state. 17. M. corniculata (Rumph. Amboin. V, 130), Lour. FI. Cochinch. 644; Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. V, 161, 166, tabs. 2-4. Stem cylindrical, 10-12 ft. long, as thick as the human thigh. Leaves oblong, green, 5-6 ft. long ; petiole i-ij ft. long. Panicle drooping, only the 2-3, rarely 4 lower bracts and flower-whorls developed, the former oblong- lanceolate, a foot long. Calyx deeply 5-toothed. Petal ovate- Genera and Species of Museac. 2 1 7 acuminate, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruit cylindrical, a foot or more long, i^-2j in. diam., narrowed gradually to the apex and sessile base, golden-yellow when ripe ; skin thick ; pulp reddish-white, firm, dry, sweet, very palatable when cooked. Malay isles and Cochin China. Kurz (loc. cit.) compares the fruit to a cucumber as regards shape and size and describes five varieties, but considers it to be probably only an extreme form of M. acuminata. A curious form is the Lubang variety, of which the stem is said to produce only a single fruit, large enough for a full meal for three men. 18. M. Hillii, F. Muell. Fragm. IX, 169, 190. Not stoloniferous. Stem cylindrical, very robust, reaching a height of 30 ft. and a diameter of ij ft. Leaves oblong, arcuate, bright green, similar to those of M. sapientum in colour and texture, reaching a length of 12-15 ft- ^ breadth of 2 ft. Peduncle 3 in. diam. Panicle dense, erect; bracts oblong or oblong-lanceo- late, 3-9 in. long. Flowers not numerous in a cluster. Calyx about an inch long. Fruits densely crowded, not edible, sessile, ovoid, much angled, 2-2 J in. long, umbonate or obtusely acuminate at the apex. Seeds numerous, angled, much de- pressed, in. diam,, with a bony testa. Queensland : banks of the Daintree river, with the two other species, Fitzalan. We have a plant now in the Palm-house at Kew which has not yet flowered. In habit it resembles AL Troglodytarum, Linn. No doubt this is M. Jackeyi, Kurz, in Journ. Agric.- Hort. Soc. Ind. N. S. V, 64. 19. M. Fitzalani, F. Muell. Fragm. IX, 188. Stem cylindrical, 20 ft. long. Leaves patent, oblong, 10-12 ft. long by 2 ft. broad. Panicle drooping. Flowers 7-10 to a bract; upper bracts ovate or oblong, 2-3 in. long. Calyx nearly an inch long. Fruits oblong, angled, yellow when ripe, not pulpy, 2-3 in. long, narrowed suddenly to a thick pedicel about ^ in. long. Seeds numerous, filling the cells, angular, depressed, scarcely ^ in. in diam. Queensland : banks of the Daintree river, Fitzalan. AL Char Hoi, Walter PI ill, in Report of the Brisbane Garden, 1874, is said to have stems 40-50 ft. long, leaves 5-6 ft. long, and fruits 3-4 in. long. 20. M. Banksii, F. Muell. Fragm. IV, 132 ; Benth. Y\. Austral. VI, 261; A/. Banksiana, Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-PIort. Soc. Ind. 2i8 Baker, — A Synopsis of the N. S. V, 64. Stoloniferous, with a cylindrical trunk, like that of M. sapientum. Leaves oblong, 5-6 ft. long, 1^-2 ft. broad, bright green ; petiole i \-2 ft. long. Panicle drooping ; upper bracts oblong, 3-4 in. long, lower much longer. Flowers 10-20 to a bract. Calyx i-ii in. long, shortly 5-lobed ; outer lobes lanceolate, inner shorter, oblong. Petal ovate- lanceolate, J in. long. Fruits quite cylindrical when dry, without any angle, straight, coriaceous, under an inch in diameter, obtuse at the apex, narrowed suddenly to a slender stipe 1^-2 in. long. Seeds grey, subglobose, J in. diam., angled in the lower half. Queensland : Mount Elliot, Rock- ingham Bay, &c.. Herb. F. Mueller ! Very like sapientum in stem and leaf, but totally different in fruit. It yields a fibre of poor quality. 21. M. Fehi (Bertero), Vieill. in Ann. Sc. Nat. 1861, 46; M. Fez, Nadeaud, FI. Tahiti {1873), 39. Stoloniferous. Trunk cylin- drical, 15-20 ft. long, greenish, full of violet juice. Leaves larger and firmer in texture than in M. sapientum and para- disiaca, with stouter veins ; midrib green ; base unequally rounded; petiole i-ij ft. long. Panicle long, erect, slightly curved only at the base. Flowers 6-8 in a cluster, sessile. Calyx with 5 unequal lobes, split finally nearly to the base. Petal short. Fruits many in a bunch, oblong, angled, 5-6 in. long by above an inch in diameter, nearly straight, yellow when ripe, with a thick skin and moderately firm pulp, not very palatable when raw, but excellent when cooked. Seeds small, dull black. Common in the forests of Tahiti, where it is largely used for food, seedless at the low levels, but bearing seeds at an altitude of 3000-3600 feet. Native name Fei. Found also sparingly by Vieillard in New Caledonia. Native name Daak. We have a young plant at the present time in the Kew collection. Probably the Fijian M. Seemanni, F. Muell. Fragm. IX, 190 (name only), of which a photograph, sent by Sir John Thurston, is reproduced Card. Chron. 1890, II, 162, fig. 28, is the same species. This is M. Uranoscopos, Seem. FI. Vit. 290, and M. Troglodytarum, Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. N. S. V, 163, in part. We have also leaves from the Rev. T. Powell of a plant from Samoa called Laufoo which probably belongs here. 219 Genera and Species of Museae. Subgenus Rhodochlamys. 22. M. maculata, Jacq. Hort. Schoen. t. 446; Kerner, Hort. t. 667. Stem slender, cylindrical, 7-8 ft. long. Leaves oblong, obtuse, deltoid at the base, green above, glaucous beneath, 2 J ft. long, 6-8 in. broad; petiole J ft. long. Panicle drooping from above the base; male flowers deciduous; spathes yellowish- brown, the upper oblong, 3-4 in. long; flowers about 4 in a cluster. Calyx yellowish-white, above an inch long, 5-toothed at the apex : petal linear, obtuse, entire, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruit oblong, 2-3 in. long, i in. diam., narrowed gradually to the sessile base and apex, yellow, spotted with brown, eatable, aromatic ; flesh, white. Known only as cultivated in Mauritius and Bourbon, where it is called Figue mignonne. Differs from the other species of this section by its eatable fruit. 23 . M. sumatrana, Beccari, Cat. Hort. Flor. II, 4; Andr^, in 111 . Hort. N. S. t. 375. Whole plant 7-8 ft. long. Stem slender, cylindrical. Leaves oblong, 5-6 ft. long, i J ft. broad, glaucous, with irregular blotches of claret-brown, rounded at the base ; petiole slender, a foot long. Peduncle hairy. Panicle more or less drooping ; male flowers deciduous ; upper spathes small, orbicular, densely imbricated (colour not known); fertile portion consisting of about six clusters of four fruits each spaced out on a flexuose rachis above a foot long. Flowers an inch long. Calyx 5-toothed at the apex ; petal linear, obtuse, nearly as long as the calyx. Dried fruits cylindrical, curved, 2-3 in. long, ^ in. diam., narrowed suddenly to a slender stipe \-i in. long. Sumatra; province of Padang, alt. 1100 feet, Beccari^ 489 ! Our specimen in flower is from the Poona Botanic Garden, sent by Mr. G. M. Woodrow. Its affinity is evidently with M. rosacea^ Jacq. 24 . M. rosacea, Jacq. Fragm. t. 132, fig. 4; Hort. Schoen. t. 445; Bot. Reg. t. 706; Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 615; M. ornata, Roxb. Hort. Beng. 19; FI. Ind. 1 , 666 ; Al. speciosa, Tenore; AT. Carolinae, Sterler. Stoloniferous. Stem cylindrical, 3-5 ft. long, 3-4 in. diam. Leaves linear-oblong, 3 ft. long, under a foot broad, tinged with purple beneath; petiole long and slender. Panicle drooping or erect, finally a foot long ; bracts ovate-lanceolate, pale blue or reddish-lilac, the lower 6-8 in. 220 Baker. — A Synopsis of the long, the upper oblong, about 3 in. long, edges involute ; female flowers in few clusters, 3-4 flowers in each; male clusters very numerous, most of the bracts falling. Calyx yellow, an inch long, 5-toothed at the apex ; petal linear, obtuse, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruit oblong, obscurely 4-5-angled, yellowish-green when ripe, 2-3 in. long, but little pulpy, scarcely edible. Seeds ^ in. diam., black, tubercled, angled by pressure, rarely produced in the cultivated plant. Eastern Himalayas and hills of the Concan. It flowered at Kew in Oct. 1881 and June 1890, and we have a specimen collected in the hill-tracts of Chittagong by Mr. J. S. Gamble in Feb. 1880. It was introduced into Europe from Mauritius about 1805. 25. M. salaecensis, Zolling. PI. Exsic. Jav. No. 1353; Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. XIV, 301. Stem slender, cylindrical. Leaves thin, oblong, green on both sides, 2 ft. long, 8-9 in. broad at the middle, cuneate at the base ; petiole short. Panicle drooping, a foot long; nodes very numerous and crowded ; flowers greenish, 2-3 to a cluster ; bracts pale lilac, upper oblanceolate-oblong, obtuse, 2-3 in. long. Calyx above an inch long ; petal linear, as long as the calyx. Fruit oblong, full of seed, 3 in. long, under i in. diam. when dried, narrowed gradually to a short stout pedicel. Seeds dull brown, angled by pressure, in. diam. Mountains of Java and Sumatra. Described from specimens in the Calcutta her- barium, dried by Kurz from the Buitenzorg Garden. Nearly allied to M. rosacea. 26. M. coccinea, Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 47 ; Red. Lil. t. 307-8; Ker, in Bot. Mag. t. 1559 ; Peters, in Mart. FI. Bras. Ill, pt. 3, t. i ; Van Hooten, Fleurs Java, t. 39 ; Miss North’s drawings, No. 696 ; M. Uranoscopos, Lour. FI. Cochinch. 645, excl. syn. Rumph. Stem stoloniferous, slender, finally 4-5 ft. long, 2-3 in. diam. Leaves oblong, 2-3 ft. long, 6-9 in. broad ; petiole long, slender. Peduncle erect. Panicle dense, erect, finally half a foot long, with few clusters of female flowers with 3-4 flowers in each ; bracts bright red or tipped with yellow, the lower lanceolate, \ ft. long, the upper oblong, about 3 in. long. Flowers yellow, an inch or more long. Calyx 5-toothed at the tip; petal linear, obtuse, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruit 22 1 Genera and Species of Museae, oblong-trigonous, yellow, not edible, 2 in. long. Seeds very small, oblong, rarely produced in cultivation. Southern China and Cochin-China. Introduced into cultivation in 1791, and now widely spread. It yields a fibre of poor quality. 27. M. rosea, Herb. Hort. Bot. Calcutt. Habit of M. coccmea, but leaves much shorter and broader in proportion to length, thin, green, about a foot long by half as broad, deltoid at the base and apex ; petiole deeply channelled, nearly as long as the blade. Panicle short, erect ; rachis pubescent, not flexuose ; bracts pale red; lower lanceolate, half a foot long; upper oblong, obtuse, about 2 in. long; flowers 2-3 in a cluster. Calyx an inch long; petal as long as the calyx. Fruit and seeds not seen. Described from two specimens in the Cal- cutta Herbarium, dried from the Botanic Garden in June 1882. 28 . M. rubra, Wall.; Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. XIV, 301. Habit of Af. coccinea. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 1J-2 ft. long, 6-9 in. broad at the middle, acute, deltoid at the base ; petiole slender, a foot long. Peduncle and panicle erect, the latter at first dense, the fruiting part finally J-i ft. long ; nodes very numerous and crowded ; bracts bright red, glabrous ; lower sterile, lanceolate, a foot long; upper oblong, 3-4 in. long. Calyx yellow, an inch long, 5-toothed at the tip ; petal lanceolate, half as long as the calyx. Fruits in 3-4 clusters of 3-4 each, cylindrical, glabrous, dry, 1J-2 in. long, J in. diam., narrowed to the base in a distinct short stipe. Seeds smooth, dull brown, J in. diam. Rangoon, M'ClellandX Yomah, Pegu, Kurz^ 3282 1 3283 ! Differs from M. coccinea by its short petal. 29. M. sanguinea, Hook. fil. in Bot. Mag. t. 5975 . Stem very slender, 4-5 ft. long. Leaves oblong, 2-3 ft. long, thin, bright green, rounded at the base; petiole slender, a foot long. Panicle erect, or finally drooping ; female clusters 2-6, with 2-3 flowers in each ; male clusters few, dense ; bracts bright red, the lower lanceolate, | ft. long, the upper persistent, lanceolate, 3-4 in. ; rachis stout, pubescent. Calyx bright yellow, 5-toothed at the apex, in. long; petal linear, obtuse, nearly as long as the calyx. Fruit oblong-trigonous, 2 in. long, rather pulpy, pale yellow-green variegated with red, glabrous. Seeds angled by pressure, small, black, tuberclcd. Assam ; Mahuni C 222 Baker. — Synopsis of Genera & Species of Museae. forest, Mann\ Introduced into cultivation in 1872. assami'ca, Hort. Bull is allied plants, at present imperfectly known, which may prove to be distinct. 30 . M. Mannii, Wendl. MSS. Stem slender, cylindrical, 2 ft. long, I in. diam., tinged with black. Leaves few, spreading ; petiole 6-10 in. long; blade oblong, green, unequally rounded at the base, 2-24 ft. long, 9-10 in. broad. Peduncle with spike erect, i ft. long ; female flowers in three clusters of three flowers each, their bracts deciduous ; male bracts crowded, oblong, pale crimson, 3-4 in. long. Calyx pale yellow, ij' in.' long; petal much shorter, truncate. Assam. Described from a specimen that flowered in the palm-house at Kew, March 1893. 31 . M. velutina, Wendl. and Drude, in Regel, Gartenfl. 1875, 65, t. 823; M. dasycarpa, Kurz, in Journ. Agric.-Hort. Soc. Ind. XIV, 381. Habit of M. sangimiea. Leaves oblong, unequal at the base, narrrowed into the long petiole. Panicle short, dense, erect; bracts bright red, pubescent on the outside; lowest sterile, lanceolate; upper oblong-lanceolate, 5-6 in. long. Fertile flowers about 3 clusters 3-4 in each ; male clusters 6-9-flowered. Calyx pale yellow, i-ij in. long, 5-toothed at the apex ; petal as long as the calyx, entire, obtuse. Fruit velvety, bright red. Throughout the forests of Assam, Mann. Introduced into cultivation in 1875. Differs from sanguinea and auraniiaca by its red pubescent fruit. 32 . M. aurantiaea, Mann, Herb. Habit of M. sanguinea, but forming larger clumps of rather shorter stems. Panicle moderately dense, finally 8-9 in. long ; rachis glabrous ; bracts bright orange-yellow, glabrous ; lowest sterile, lanceolate, a foot long ; upper oblong-lanceolate, persistent, 3-4 in. long ; female flowers in 4-5 clusters of 2-4 each. Calyx yellow, above an inch long, 5-toothed at the tip ; petal linear, obtuse, as long as the calyx. Fruit green, glabrous. Forests of Upper Assam, Manfi ! Differs mainly from M. sanguinea by its orange- coloured bracts.