Nature 183, 1539 (30 May 1959); doi:10.1038/1831539a0

Two New Basic Chromosome Numbers in the Musaceae

K. SHEPHERD

Regional Research Centre, Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, Trinidad. Feb. 2.

THE scheme proposed by Cheesman¹, and now generally accepted, for the classification of the Musaceae depends partly on basic chromosome numbers. Two genera are recognized. The genus Ensete Horan. comprises species with monocarpic habit and 2n = 18 chromosomes. Species of Musa L. form suckers more or less freely and are placed in four sections: Musa (Eumusa) and Rhodochlamys with 2n = 22, Callimusa and Australimusa with 2n = 20. This scheme includes nicely all the species thus far described, but among recent introductions to the Trinidad collections are two exceptional forms for which the classification will need to be elaborated.

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