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Musa kattuvazhana (Musaceae): Rediscovery and additional notes on a critically endangered species from Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India
Author(s) -
MosaChristas Kithiyon,
Karthick Ravikumar,
Kowsalya Elumalai,
Jaquline Chinna Rani I
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
feddes repertorium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1522-239X
pISSN - 0014-8962
DOI - 10.1002/fedr.202000034
Subject(s) - tamil , musaceae , critically endangered , ethnobotany , geography , endangered species , biology , botany , agroforestry , ecology , medicinal plants , habitat , philosophy , linguistics
A wild banana species, Musa kattuvazhana K.C.Jacob, belongs to Musa sect. Rhodochlamys . It is now rediscovered in Tamil Nadu, India after an interval of 67 years since Nayar's first identification in 1952, Musa banksii (F.Muell) var. singampatti T.G.Nayar. This critically endangered species was first collected from the type locality in the Tirunelveli hills of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. In the present study, it is described on the basis of the morphological characteristics as observed in the field. In addition, photographs, relevant taxonomic notes and ethnobotanical uses of M. kattuvazhana are provided.