ELAKKI

DESCRIPTION:
{EDIT} The tiny fruit of Musa (AB group) 'Elakki' or 'Elakki bale', a Mysore banana speciality. (065)

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ELE ELE
SEE Seychelles Plantian (009)
Hawaiian Black (004), Black Hawaiian, Seychelles Plantain (009)

DESCRIPTION:
A Hawaiian cooking variety that is known for its very dark pseudostem. [I]t gets a purplish hue, especially in more acid volcanic type soil. Full sized fruit. (011) (004) (010)Outstanding Hawaiian variety with a blackish purple cast to it's leaf sheaths, petioles and midrib. Tall variety ... producing large bunches of delicious orange fleshed fruits. Very sturdy withstanding well to winds. Excellent for cooking or eating (061)A distinctive Hawaiian variety giving to its almost black leaf sheathes, petioles, and midribs. The latter two used in weaving hats and other articles. The plants ... produce large bunches of orange fleshed cooking bananas of good flavor. (007)Has the distinction of being larger in girth than any banana. Fruit of this clone is best eaten cooked. Average hardiness, attractive brown to black coloration. (009)The Hawaiian translation of dark colored, black, blackish is ele ele. Prior to the abolition of the kapu system where many facets of life were kapu or forbidden to the commoner, the royalty enjoyed uniquely different fruits and vegetables. This is one of many plants that were reserved solely for royalty. This unusually colorful plantain type [is] quite strong and able to withstand moderate winds. Displays blackish petioles, midribs and leaf sheaths. Leaves are green and pseudostem is of a dark brown/blackish coloring. Fruits are green that ripen to a yellow color and are delicious. Keikis (young growing plants [or pups]). (031)The plant grows quite tall. The stem is sturdy and the overall appearance of the plant is that the entire pseudostem is dark brown or black. The leaves are green. The fruit is between a plantain and a banana and the flavor is delicious. This plant is a vigorous grower and stands up well to wind. (032)[A]ccording to legend a sacred plant of [Hawaii's] royalty - commoners were forbidden to grow it! A big colorful banana with great tasting fruit, usually cooked. But it is only of "average cold hardiness" (i.e., not so good), so probably only good for such use in Southern California or very frost free, warm areas of Nothern California. Its best use in all areas is probably as a substantial, striking, semideciduous ornamental landscape specimen, due to its impressive height, dark burgundy to maroon black leaf undersides, and similarly marked trunks, which have the greatest girth of any edible banana known. (079)Hawaiian variety with almost black sheathes, petioles, and midribs large bunches of orange fleshed cooking bananas (063)The trunk and leaf petioles of this Polynesian variety are very dark brown to black in color. Its delicious pulp is an orange color and it is usually cooked before being eaten. (105)Hawaiian variety with petioles and midribs used for weaving and producing orange fleshed cooking bananas. (096) Declined severely (most leaves yellowed or browned, first new leaf distorted with brown patches) and finally died when 3 of 10 pups (when pups were at most 10" tall) when most varieties show little or no sypmtoms. The rest of the pups continued to thrive even as the parent plant was dying back. (910)

TYPE: Fresh, Cooking.
GENETICS: AAB (Maoli group)(006) AAB (009) (064) (079)
HEIGHT: 14' (011), 15-20' (009), 16-18' (032), 20' (061), 20-25' (031) (038)
HIGHLIGHTS: Dark pseudostem and orange-fleshed fruit.

EMAS

DESCRIPTION:
{EDIT} The dessert types are emas, berangan, rastali, udang and a new clone named cavendish (novaria) whereas the hardy fruits used in cooking and food processing are abu nipah, abu kapur, buloh, tanduk, awak, masam and nangka. (142)

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EMBUN

DESCRIPTION:
A lot of banana species grow in Malaysia . There are bananas to cook (eg. Nangka, Tanduk, Awak) and those eaten raw like Mas, Rastali, Berangan, and Embun. (138) The most popular cultivars [of Embun (Cavendish) grown in Malaysia are Montel, Comel, Cabana and Sun King. Each bunch has 15 - 25 hands and weighed more than 20 kg. It has large size fingers ranges from 15 - 22 cm in length and 3.5 - 4.5 cm in thickness. Fruit skin is thick, smooth and yellow in colour when ripen. It has white, fine textured, pleasant aroma and sweet flesh. Cavendish Type. (139)

TYPE: DESSERT
GENETICS: AAA (139)
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ENANO GIGANTE
Dwarf Mexican

DESCRIPTION:
An excellent Cavindish cultivar and heavy producer of sweet delicious fruit. Commercially grown in Mexico and Central America. It adapts very well to our conditions. (061) (047) Shorter than Valery. (007)A commercial clone of Mexico. High-quality fruit of large size under ideal conditions. Tender, often needing support when bearing, subject to cigar end rot in cold wet weathetr. (009) [Has} large dark green leaves with red markings on juvenile foliage. (999) Mature leaves are solid green. Will produce richer tasting and creamier fruit than the market variety. Dwarf height limits wind damage. (068) [A] dwarfed Cavendish cultivar. It is a good commercial variety that bears sweet fruit. (056)Dwarf height limits wind damage. (097) Dwarf cavendish cultivar with large bunches of delicious fruit (063)Heavy producer of sweet, delicious fruit. (096) [T]he most widely grown cultivar in [Mexico.] (076) [Gran Nain is S]horter than Enano Gigante. (007) Trials of 5 clones of 'Giant Cavendish' and 9 other cultivars ('Robusta A', 'Robusta B', 'Cocos A', 'Cocos B', 'Golden Beauty', 'Enano Nautia', 'Enano Gigante', 'Enano' and 'Valery') were made between 1976 and 1979 at the Campo Agricola Experimental at Tecoman, Mexico. 'Enano Gigante' is the most widely grown cultivar in that region but the tests showed that 'Enano Nautia' and 'Golden Beauty' bore heavier bunches of better quality fruit, even though 'Enano Gigante' had a greater number of bunches and highest yield per ground area. 'Giant Cavendish' clones 1, 2, 3 and 4, and 'Cocos B' grew very tall, gave low yields and the fruit was of poor quality. (076)

TYPE: DESSERT
GENETICS:
HEIGHT: 4-6' (056) (009), 10-12' (061)
DISEASE: Cigar end rot.
HIGHLIGHTS: popular Mexican variety.

ENANO NAUTIA

DESCRIPTION:
Trials of 5 clones of 'Giant Cavendish' and 9 other cultivars ('Robusta A', 'Robusta B', 'Cocos A', 'Cocos B', 'Golden Beauty', 'Enano Nautia', 'Enano Gigante', 'Enano' and 'Valery') were made between 1976 and 1979 at the Campo Agricola Experimental at Tecoman, Mexico. 'Enano Gigante' is the most widely grown cultivar in that region but the tests showed that 'Enano Nautia' and 'Golden Beauty' bore heavier bunches of better quality fruit, even though 'Enano Gigante' had a greater number of bunches and highest yield per ground area. 'Giant Cavendish' clones 1, 2, 3 and 4, and 'Cocos B' grew very tall, gave low yields and the fruit was of poor quality. (076)

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ENSETE GLAUCUM
Snow Banana (011), Musa Wilsonnii (011), Ensete Wilsonii (011)

DESCRIPTION:
Ensete glaucum is the correct species name. [T]he most widespread Asian Ensete and its range is such that some provenances, especially from China, may be quite cold tolerant. The common name "Snow Banana" is sometimes applied to Ensete glaucum to indicate its supposed hardiness. However, Ensete glaucum has only become available commercially in 2000 so no-one yet has any outdoor overwintering experience. The most cold hardy provenances may not anyway yet be available, Ensete glaucum has a very wide range that includes tropical areas. Having said that, Ensete glaucum seems not to be a very variable plant in terms of plant habit and leaf colour which is a bluish-green. [P]otentially a very large plant indeed although it is extremely unlikely to reach its full potential under UK conditions, inside or out. Nevertheless it should prove to be a spectacular foliage plant in the garden even if only in summer bedding. The fruit is not likely to be produced in the UK except under exceptional circumstances and is anyway not edible. ometimes the names Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii are attached to this species as synonyms, or vice versa. It is almost certainly true to say that Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii are Ensete glaucum. In other words, the "correct" name for Musa wilsonii and Ensete wilsonii is Ensete glaucum. However, it is not always true to say that Ensete glaucum is Ensete wilsonii. This may at first seem nonsensical but, by analogy, carrots are vegetables although vegetables are not carrots. There are some banana species that collectors avidly seek and sometimes even find and yet they do not exist. Musa nepalensis is one such species and Musa wilsonii, the subject of this note, is another. How can a species be described and named and then later disappear from existence as it were into thin air? In fact this can happen very easily if it is later realized that the original identification of the species was incorrect and the plant is re-classified as something else. The story of Musa wilsonii begins in 1899 when Ernest "Chinese" Wilson returned to Hong Kong from Yunnan with seeds of a new Musa. The seeds were germinated in Hong Kong botanic garden and grown to flowering size and identified as a new species by the Superintendent of the gardens, a Mr. Tutcher, who named the species after its discoverer. In 1947 the genus Ensete was created (in the modern sense) by E. E. Cheesman and he re-named Musa wilsonii as Ensete wilsonii. Then in 1960 N. W. Simmonds determined that Ensete wilsonii was no different to Ensete glaucum and, with the stroke of the pen, so to speak, the species born Musa wilsonii ceased to exist. All this was of purely academic interest and would have remained so were it not for the fact that Musa wilsonii reportedly occurred up to 2,700 m. in Yunnan and, somewhere along the line, acquired the name "Snow Banana" implying that it is remarkably hardy. For this particular reason European nurseries and seed suppliers would dearly like to offer it and plant collectors in China would dearly like to supply them. But if the plant does not exist how can it be supplied? Not everyone chooses to accept the plant does not exist and instead they strive to be first to offer it. It is extremely difficult to find a species that in reality does not exist and in the ensuing scramble to find it the name Musa wilsonii is often applied imprecisely. In 2000 the name has been applied mistakenly to no less than three different species. The first of these is Ensete glaucum. As mentioned above Musa wilsonii was reclassified as Ensete wilsonii in 1947, which was in turn reclassified as Ensete glaucum in 1960. But, I must warn you, the story is even more complicated. Very recently Ensete wilsonii was revived as a species distinct from Ensete glaucum by the Flora of China project, first in a short note in 1997 and more formally in volume 24 of the flora published in 2000. The name Ensete wilsonii was applied to an Ensete species that occurs up to 2,700 m in Yunnan province. That seemed to settle the matter definitively except that it now seems that Flora of China volume 24 is wrong. The separation of Ensete wilsonii and Ensete glaucum seems to be based on very shaky evidence and Ensete wilsonii should probably be absorbed back into Ensete glaucum. The uncertainty here is simply an indication of how difficult are the Musaceae taxonomically. Let us just accept for the moment that Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii really are Ensete glaucum. In that case it is presumably quite acceptable for nursery or seedsmen to list Ensete glaucum and give Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii as synonyms. The answer I am afraid is, not necessarily. In order to know whether Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii are properly used as synonyms for Ensete glaucum one needs to know the precise origin of the seed or plants in question. Musa wilsonii/Ensete wilsonii is endemic to Yunnan province in China, meaning that it naturally occurs nowhere else. However, Ensete glaucum also occurs in Yunnan and is much more common there than Musa wilsonii/Ensete wilsonii. Further, Ensete glaucum is not endemic to Yunnan but has a very wide range throughout East Asia reaching even to remote parts of eastern Papua New Guinea. Nurseries and seed suppliers tend to be rather free with their use of synonyms to establish a relationship between what they think will sell and what they actually have. If it can be guaranteed that Ensete glaucum seed comes from Yunnan then it is just about acceptable to use the name Ensete wilsonii as a synonym. But if the Ensete glaucum seed comes, say, from India then it is quite wrong to associate the name Ensete wilsonii with it. Even if the Ensete glaucum seed comes from Yunnan there is no guarantee that the seed is from the highest altitude plants and therefore likely to be very cold tolerant. The second species to which the name Musa wilsonii has been applied is, probably, Musa basjoo. Banana seed labeled as "Musa wilsonii" and collected at "very high altitude" in Yunnan Province in China was offered commercially in the UK in 2000. It can be said with certainty that this is not Musa wilsonii or Ensete wilsonii. The name was applied to the seed by the seed collector in China who presumably thought he or she really was collecting Musa wilsonii or thought that using the name would make the seed more marketable. The seed is Musa seed and that means that it cannot be Musa wilsonii. As mentioned above Musa wilsonii is actually a synonym of Ensete glaucum and Ensete seed is quite different to Musa seed in shape and size. I know of only one plant raised from this seed and that plant looks like Musa basjoo. It would not be surprising if the plant was Musa basjoo since this is a Chinese species and occurs in Yunnan. The third species is called Musa "Yunnan". The story of this seed is strangely similar to the "Musa wilsonii" mentioned above, i.e. it was collected at "very high altitude" in Yunnan Province in China. It was offered to a German seed company by a Chinese collector as Musa wilsonii. The seed company realized the name was wrong and gave the seed the provisional name of Musa "Yunnan" pending formal identification. This seed is different to the seed of "Musa wilsonii" mentioned above and it is clear that the resultant plants are different and are definitely not Musa basjoo. Their true identity is not yet confirmed. The fact that the seed of "Yunnan" was collected at high altitude suggests that the plants may be rather cold hardy and they do seem to be standing well in an unheated glasshouse. Whatever the correct identification plants from this seed are attractive with distinctive blue-green leaves. Some seedlings have a red flush on the undersides of the leaves. Ensete glaucum Ensete glaucum (W. Roxburgh, Hort. Beng. 19 (1814) (nomen), Corom. Pl. t. 300, 96-98 (1819-1820), Flora Indica 2: 490 (1824) (descr.); ibid ed. 2, 1: 669 (1832)) E. E. Cheesman, Kew Bulletin 2 (2): 101 (1947). Ensete glaucum (W. Roxburgh) E. E. Cheesman, Kew Bulletin 2 (2): 101 (1947). (011)

Synonyms:
1. Musa glauca W. Roxburgh, Hort. Beng. 19 (1814) (nomen), Corom. Pl. t. 300, 96-98 (1819-1820), Flora Indica 2: 490 (1824) (descr.); ibid ed. 2, 1: 669 (1832).
2. Musa nepalensis N. Wallich, in W. Roxburgh, Flora Indica 2: 490 (1824) and ibid. ed. 2 vol. 1: 669 (1832).
3. Musa troglodytarum L. var. dolioliformis F. M. Blanco, Flora de Filipinas : 855 (1837) [also ed. II : 174 (1845) & ed. III : 312 (1877).]
4. Musa gigantea C. E. O. Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 691 (1891).
5. Musa calosperma F. J. H. von Mueller, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 10: 355 (1885) and Gardeners' Chronicle series 3, 20: 369 & 467 fig. 85 (1896).
6. Musa wilsonii W. J. Tutcher, Gardeners' Chronicle series 3, 32: 450 [fig. 151: 451] (1902), & Revue Horticole 34 (1903).
7. Ensete calospermum (F. J. H. von Mueller) E. E. Cheesman, Kew Bulletin 2 (2): 102 (1947).
8. Ensete wilsonii (W. J. Tutcher) E. E. Cheesman, Kew Bulletin 2 (2): 103 (1947).
9. Musa agharkarii A. K. Chakravorti, Journal of the Indian botanical Society 27 (2): 93 (1948).
10. Ensete gigantea (C. E. O. Kuntze) T. Nakai, Bulletin of the Tokyo Science Museum 22: 12 (1948).
11. Ensete nepalensis (N. Wallich) E. E. Cheesman, err. cal. N. W. Simmonds, Kew Bulletin 14 (2): 212 (1960).
12. Ensete agharkarii (A. K. Chakravorti) D. K. Hore, B. D. Sharma & G. Pandey, Journal of economic and taxonomic Botany 16 (2): 447-455 (1992).

Authorities:
Sources for the accepted name are Cheesman 1947a and Simmonds 1960.Sources of synonymy are as follows:1. from Cheesman 1947a, Simmonds 1960 and Hara et al 1978.2. from Hara et al 1978, Hotta 1989 and Flora Xizangica3. from Merrill's Species Blancoanae (Gerda Rossel).4 & 10. from Hotta 1989 (but see comments at Musa gigantea)5, 6, 7 & 8. from Simmonds 1960 (but Flora of China gives E. wilsonii as a good species)9 & 12. from Rao & Hajra 197611. from Hara et al 1978, Hotta 1989, Simmonds 1960 (but see comments at Ensete nepalensis)
Distribution: Myanmar (Burma, where the original collection was made by Roxburgh when it was part of India sensu lato), China, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (incl. New Ireland, New Britain, New Hebrides) and the Solomon Islands.

Description:
Pseudostem glaucous grey-green and waxy, up to 5 m. tall, slightly swollen at the base. Lower parts of the leaf sheaths not clasping but standing out from the base. Sheaths glaucous abaxially, pinkish-brown adaxially. Petioles stout, glaucous-green, 10-45 cm. long. Sap watery, turning rusty-orange upon exposure to the air, after which the colour fades slowly to a dirty grey-black. Leaves grey-green and very waxy. Bracts ovate(-lanceolate), acute and persistent, the female ones glaucous-green (sometimes white with wax), the male ones dull-green inside and outside, lifting before withering. Male bud 3 - 4 times as long as broad, imbricate and conical. Male flowers white or translucent. Outer perianth 3 times as long as the tepal and divided nearly to the base into 3 narrow lobes. Free tepal complex, about as long as broad, consisting of 2 short, largely irregularly dentate lateral lobes enfolding the filaments and of a narrow central lobe with a slender apiculus. Stamen of the basal flowers varying from 5 fully formed stamen to 5 filiform staminodes. Stigma large and 3-lobed, both style and stigma persistent. Inflorescence pendulous with densely packed fruit. Fruits (oblong-)ovoid, yellow or sometimes partly discoloured purple at maturity, with scanty, faintly pinkish-white pulp, containing 9 - 40 seeds. Seeds asymmetrically (sub-)globose or smoothly irregular due to pressure in packed fruit, (dull) black or blackish brown, 9 - 14 mm. in diameter, with a large and depressed hilum.

Habitat:
The plants are found growing on slopes, besides streams in India, and in fairly dry open areas, preferrably grasslands (from sea level to 1600 m. alt.) in Papua New Guinea (and up to 800 - 1100 m. or even 2700 m. in southern China). The plants relatively fire-resistent, regenerating from the swollen bases after a bush fire. (Simmonds 1960, Argent 1976, Rao & Hajra 1976, Li 1978, Nguyen Dang Khoi & Valmayor 1995).

References:
Argent 1976: 82, Backer 1924, Baker 1893: 209-210, Baker 1894a, Blanco 1845, Chakravorti 1951, Champion 1967: 40, Cheesman 1947a: 101, Desmond 1991, De Wildeman 1912, Fawcett 1913: 266, Flora of China, Flora Xizangica, GRIN, Hara et al 1978, Hore et al 1992, Hotta 1989, Howes 1928, IBPGR, Icon. Corm. Sinicorum, Kurz 1877, Le Dinh Danh et al 1998, Li 1978: 56, Li 1981, Mobot Tropicos, Nguyen Dang Khoi & Valmayor 1995: 4, Quisumbing 1919, Rao & Hajra 1976: 208-209, Sagot 1887, Sastri 1962, Schumann 1912, Simmonds 1956, Simmonds 1960: 205, Teodoro 1915, Tutcher 1902: 450, Tutcher 1903, von Mueller 1896.

Comments:
The type of Ensete glaucum, Musa glauca was first collected by Roxburgh in Burma when it was part of India sensu lato. Despite its appearance in modern floras of India and of Nepal Ensete glaucum almost certainly does not occur in these countries as a wild plant. (Possibly it just creeps into Mizoram, Hore et al 1992). It is however cultivated in north eastern India e.g. in Kalimpong and some commercial seed originates there.Although the plant is said to be strictly monocarpic, an apparently spontaneously suckering specimen has been reported from Vietnam. Sulpiz Kurz (1877) also noted a suckering specimen of Musa glauca "in the Botanical Garden of Java which threw out two shoots, and if accounts are correct, the M. ensete [Ensete ventricosum] of Africa is said to make many shoots (I suppose if the whole plant is cut down before flowering)". Despite its absence from India and Nepal Ensete glaucum occurs over a wide geographic area. The range may be wider still. According to Simmonds (1960: 208, 212) the flowers of E. glaucum are pure white with white anthers and pollen except in Javanese material which has a "tinge of yellow on the perianth1". These characters distinguish E. glaucum from E. ventricosum which has the perianth tipped with orange-yellow, the anthers violet or purple and the pollen yellow or greyish. Despite this, Simmonds comments that he can see no reliable differences between the Asian Ensete glaucum and the African Ensete ventricosum and speculates that it might prove ultimately to be necessary to reduce Ensete ventricosum to a synonym of Ensete glaucum which has priority as a name by some 45 years. E. glaucum is just now (2000) being re-introduced to western horticulture and it is to be hoped that certain provenances may turn out to be reasonably cold tolerant; the plant occurs at up to 1,000 m. in China and at 800 m. to 1,100 m. in Tibet. Recently, the Flora of China has separated Ensete glaucum and Ensete wilsonii as distinct, the botanical differences between them being specified as follows: Ensete glaucum - Pseudostem to 5 m (measured to crown of leaves at maturity); leaf blade 1.4 - 1.8 m, base cuneate; compound tepal ca. 2.5 cm; fruit obovoid-oblong; seeds smooth. Ensete wilsonii - Pseudostem ca. 1.7 m (measured to crown of leaves at maturity); leaf blade ca. 3.3 m, base slightly cordate to truncate; compound tepal ca. 5 cm; fruit trigonous clavate; seeds slightly wrinkled.Both E. glaucum and E. wilsonii occur in Yunnan and although the endemic E. wilsonii occurs up to 2,700 m. and E. glaucum only to 1,100 m. there is considerable altitudinal overlap in their ranges. There is the possibility for confusion of identity in Chinese Ensete seed offered commercially. Then again there are some Chinese botanists who hold the view that E. wilsonii does not exist as a species plants attributed to it being inseparable from Ensete glaucum.1 Simmonds cites C. A. Backer (Handboek voor de Flora van Java (Musaceae) afl. 3: 131, 1924) as the source of the observation that Javanese material has a "tinge of yellow on the perianth". This is actually a slight mistranslation of "geelwit", the colour term used by Backer, the English equivalent of which is ivory-white or creamy-white. (011a)

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ENSETE MAURELII
Red Abyssinian, Ensete ventricosum "Atropurpureum"

DESCRIPTION:
Red Banana. Leaves are tinged with red on upper surface, especially along edges. Leafstalks are dark red. (047) This plant is a cultivar of Ensete ventricosum and the correct name is Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'. There is no difference between plants offered as 'Atropurpureum' and 'Maurelii'. This is a very richly coloured cultivar of Ensete ventricosum and a magnificent summer foliage plant in the garden. Although it must be overwintered under protection it is completely wasted in a greenhouse or conservatory in the summer. The undersides of the leaves are flushed orange-red with the colour of the midribs being especially intense. The upper surface of the leaves is variably flushed at the edges with a chocolate-brown colour and again the midrib is very dark. The plant is wonderful viewed with the sun behind it. The colours are somewhat less intense if the plant is grown in shade and the heavier the shade the less intense are the colours. If the plant has one drawback, and it is not a serious one, it is that it is a relatively short, stocky plant compared to Ensete ventricosum itself, and is not quite so vigorous. The fruit is not likely to be produced in the UK except under exceptional circumstances and is anyway not edible. (011) Ensete ventricosum 'Rubrum' ... is a cultivar of Ensete ventricosum and the correct name is Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'. There is no difference between plants offered as 'Rubrum' and 'Maurelii'. http://www.kobakoba.co.uk/ensete_ventricosum_maurelii.htm This superb plant for the summer garden was "discovered" by J. Maurel, Director of the Alliance Française School of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A gentleman named Bois working at the Natural History Museum in Paris described it formally in 1930 and named it Musa sp.? var. Maurelii in honour of J. Maurel. Bois might have named the plant Musa ensete var. Maurelii but thought it was so different that it must be some other but closely related species. As the result of taxonomic revisions in 1947 and 1953 it could be seen that our plant belonged to Ensete ventricosum albeit an unusual, richly coloured form of that species. The fact that it is so unusual coupled with the fact that the name Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' seems never formally to have been published leads some people, wrongly, to call it Ensete maurelii. Plants called Ensete ventricosum 'Rubrum' or 'Atropurpureum' are also 'Maurelii'.The base colour of the plant is green but suffused with shades of red so dark sometimes as to be almost black. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green overlain with rich chocolate-brown towards the leaf edges and the midrib is a dark rich red. The under surface of the leaves is flushed orange-red and again the midrib is darker and richer in colour. The effect of the leaves viewed with the sun behind them is superb. It is probably best grown in a container, as large as you can manage, rather than being grown in the ground; it is somewhat less vigorous than "normal" Ensete ventricosum. 'Maurelii' is a fabulous foliage plant for the summer garden. Although it must be overwintered under protection it is best appreciated outdoors. The spectacular effect of the plant is rather lost if it is kept in the greenhouse or conservatory in the summer. At Hestercombe Gardens near Taunton in Somerset a 'Maurelii' is planted against the house in a sheltered corner provided by the south wall and a buttress and is overwintered in situ wrapped in sacking. (026a) Pseudostem glaucous grey-green and waxy, up to 5 m. tall, slightly swollen at the base. Lower parts of the leaf sheaths not clasping but standing out from the base. Sheaths glaucous abaxially, pinkish-brown adaxially. Petioles stout, glaucous-green, 10-45 cm. long. Sap watery, turning rusty-orange upon exposure to the air, after which the colour fades slowly to a dirty grey-black. Leaves grey-green and very waxy. Bracts ovate(-lanceolate), acute and persistent, the female ones glaucous-green (sometimes white with wax), the male ones dull-green inside and outside, lifting before withering. Male bud 3 - 4 times as long as broad, imbricate and conical. Male flowers white or translucent. Outer perianth 3 times as long as the tepal and divided nearly to the base into 3 narrow lobes. Free tepal complex, about as long as broad, consisting of 2 short, largely irregularly dentate lateral lobes enfolding the filaments and of a narrow central lobe with a slender apiculus. Stamen of the basal flowers varying from 5 fully formed stamen to 5 filiform staminodes. Stigma large and 3-lobed, both style and stigma persistent. Inflorescence pendulous with densely packed fruit. Fruits (oblong-)ovoid, yellow or sometimes partly discoloured purple at maturity, with scanty, faintly pinkish-white pulp, containing 9 - 40 seeds. Seeds asymmetrically (sub-)globose or smoothly irregular due to pressure in packed fruit, (dull) black or blackish brown, 9 - 14 mm. in diameter, with a large and depressed hilum. Habitat: The plants are found growing on slopes, besides streams in India, and in fairly dry open areas, preferrably grasslands (from sea level to 1600 m. alt.) in Papua New Guinea (and up to 800 - 1100 m. or even 2700 m. in southern China). The plants relatively fire-resistent, regenerating from the swollen bases after a bush fire. (038) This is the desirable Ensete banana that develops broad leaves that are of a pink-bronze color and a bright burgundy-red trunk. A beautiful sight. It's fruit is not edible. (105)
TYPE: ORNAMENTAL
GENETICS:
HEIGHT: 10-15' (047), 10-25' (038), 15-20' (105)
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ENSETE VENTRICOSUM
Abyssinian

DESCRIPTION:
Very large banana plant that makes an excellent decorative specimen. Very fast growing. Huge leaves often shows a red midrib, but color varies. (038)Ensete ventricosum.Ensete ventricosum is the correct species name. This is the most widespread African Ensete and it has a long north-south range in the eastern half of that continent. It is a very variable plant in terms of plant habit, stature and leaf colour. To some extent these factors are affected by the light intensity under which the plants are grown. For example, plants with red midribs tend to lose their colour when grown in shade. Nevertheless the colouration is not just a function of environment. Seedlings from different provenances vary in terms of the intensity of the red colour which ranges from a faint rosy pink to a deep chocolate brown. The colouration is strongest in the cultivar 'Maurelii' in which the chocolate brown colouration suffuses even the upper surface of the leaf blades. Ensete ventricosum is potentially a very large plant indeed although it does not reach its full potential under UK conditions, inside or out. It cannot be overwintered outdoors in the UK except in the most favoured microclimates. Nevertheless it is a spectacular foliage plant and can grow at the rate of one new leaf every 10 days or so outdoors in the summer. The fruit is not likely to be produced in the UK except under exceptional circumstances and is anyway not edible. However, the starch in the pseudostem of the plant, harvested just before flowering, is a valuable human food in parts of Ethiopia. (011)

TYPE: ORNAMENTAL
GENETICS:
HEIGHT: 10-20' (038)
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ESPANOLA

DESCRIPTION:
The Philippines has different varieties of banana - from the cooking variety named Saba, to small sweet Latundan, to the bigger exportable Bongolan, to red-skinned Morado, to full of seeds Espanola, to small, finger-like Senoritas. (020)

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ETHAKAI
SEE Nendran

FATHER LEONORE

DESCRIPTION:

TYPE:
GENETICS: AAB (009)
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FEHI

DESCRIPTION:
Under tropical conditions a very ornamental plant, producing fruit with orange to copper colored skin and greenish sulfur yellow pulp which is quite good when cooked. Needs more time to evaluate its performance here but appears to resent cooler temperatures. (007) The 'Fehi' or 'Fe'i' group, of Polynesia, is distinguished by the erect bunches and the purplish-red or reddish-yellow sap of the plants which has been used as ink and for dyeing. The plants may reach 36 ft. and the leaves are 20 to 30 in wide. The bunches have about 6 hands of orange or copper-colored, thick skinned fruits which are starchy, sometimes seedy, of good flavor when boiled or roasted. These plants are often grown as ornamentals in Hawaii. (076)

TYPE: COOKING
GENETICS: ABB or BBB (009)
HEIGHT: 36' (076)
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FE'I

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FHIA GROUP

DESCRIPTION:
The SPC Regional Germplasm Centre (The Secretariat of the Pacific Community) distributes accessions of bananas, ... to the 22 SPC member countries and territories. INIBAP [International Network for the Improvement of the Banana and Plantain] has provided FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) lines and modest funding for the multiplication and distribution of new banana lines in the region. FHIA-1, 2, 3, 17,18, 23 and 25 have been distributed to American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. Recent results from New Caledonia indicate FHIA-17, 18, and 23 had excellent BLS [Bacerial Leaf Spot] resistance but grew very slowly during and after the cool dry season. Earlier results of organoleptic testing indicate that FHIA-1 is acceptable as a Dessert banana and FHIA-2 is acceptable as a cooking banana. These lines are being distributed to farmers for testing. In the Federated States of Micronesia the FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) trials being conducted by the community college indicate the resistance to BLS is excellent but organoleptic tests have not been conducted yet. America Samoa reported that FHIA-25 produces well and is resistant to BLS, but Samoans prefer a cooking banana with a harder texture. New Caledonia Since 1990, the Pocquereux Fruit Research Station of the Institute of New Caledonian Agriculture (with links to CIRAD) has had a banana research programme to control BLS through chemical methods, selection of BLS tolerant banana cultivars, and epidemiological studies to better understand the interaction between the pathogen, the plant and the climate. These efforts are linked with extension efforts with both subsistence and commercial banana producers. Pocquereux also participates in the Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS). The station is one of the BLS evaluation sites for the Banana Improvement Project (BIP), which evaluates 80 different cultivars with the aim of selecting diploids as parents for breeding programmes. This is our leading center of banana research in the region. (070) FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) will make an earnest effort to supply small quantities of rooted tissue-culturedplants to those who request them. Packages are sent by the DHL international courier and the shipping cost is about $80.00 from Honduras to most countries. It would be helpful if FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) could be reimbursed for this expense, but this is not a requirement for receiving plants. Instructions and photos describing how the plants should be handled will be sent with each shipment. When the plants produce fruit, any information which could be provided about the opinions of the different hybrids by farmers and consumers would be greatly appreciated. It is anticipated that there will be a demand for additional planting material after the preliminary evaluations of the plant and fruit characteristics of these hybrids. An illustrated description of a practical method for rapid field multiplication of plants is available from FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola), and a free copy will be mailed to interested persons upon request. Please address correspondence to: Dr. Phil Rowe, FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola), P.O. Box 2067, San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Email:dinvest@simon.intertel.hn; Phone: (504) 668-2078; Fax: (504) 668-2313. (092) TEGUCIGALPA - The Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA) has developed alternatives to the potential demise of the Cavendish banana, the most widely exported variety and one that is threatened by a lethal plague, an FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) spokesman told Tierramérica. The test varieties FHIA-17 and FHIA-23 possess traits and a taste similar to the Cavendish and could replace it, Roberto Tejeda, the institution's communications manager told Tierramérica, Since it was founded in 1984, the FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) has achieved six banana hybrids that are resistant to black sigatoka and to some forms of Panama disease, two types of fungus infestations that are devastating banana plantations in several regions around the world, These hybrids also demonstrate some resistance to other pests, such as parasite worms that attacks the roots of the banana tree, The FHIA-17 and FHIA-23 trial hybrids are the product of conventional genetic crosses, using natural pollination methods, in a process that has allowed scientists and farmers to confront the fungus threat without affecting the environment, says Tejeda, The intensive use of pesticides to fight these fungi is environmentally harmful and means high production costs for small and medium size farming operations, The FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) has not turned to genetic engineering as an option either. The results achieved through conventional crossbreeding techniques are encouraging for now, but there is still much to be done, Tejeda said, The FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) is one of just five institutions worldwide that are dedicated to improving the security of the banana, the fourth leading food crop in the world, after rice, maize and wheat, In contrast, there are around a thousand institutions around the globe that are specialized in rice research, The FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) is part of the International Network for the Improvement of the Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), based in France, with the mandate to promote scientific investigation of this fruit. INIBAP has called attention to the plant health problems confronting banana growers in Asia, Australia and Africa. In those regions, the fusarium fungus, which triggers what is known as race 4 of Panama disease, has attacked the banana varieties of the Cavendish group, the most consumed bananas in the western world, To date, there does not exist a pesticide to fight this soil-inhabiting organism, nor are there any Cavendish varieties that are resistant to fusarium wilt. (099) Earlier this year, INIBAP issued a warning that the extinction of the Cavendish is on the horizon and expressed concern that fusarium would soon spread to the commercial banana plantations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) has two varieties that are resistant to black sigatoka but not the race 4 of Panama disease, and are being grown at experiment stations in countries like Cuba, Colombia and Ecuador, The hybrids that the FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) works with are geared towards the consumption of cooked banana, which is in high demand in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, while in Europe the population eats the fruit fresh, Tejeda explained, Confronting the fusarium challenge requires financing research to prevent the fungus from appearing in those Latin American varieties, said the scientist. The FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) is urging "the transnational banana companies to work with other related institutions to obtain resources that would facilitate research and consolidate it to the benefit of consumers, trade and scientific development," Tejeda said, The Honduran institution spends 400,000 dollars a year on banana and plantain research, with most of the resources coming from INIBAP. Obtaining funding is a constant struggle faced by the agricultural research institutions of the developing South, noted Tejeda."As the years pass, in Latin America the total resources for scientific research has been diminishing, and this is something we are experiencing firsthand," he said. (093) BANANAS & PLANTAINS The overall objective of the program is to develop hybrids of bananas and plantains that are resistant to the main diseases and insects of economical importance. The resulting hybrids are also screened to determine the best ones that have the ability to prosper under adverse growth conditions. The ultimate goal is to reduce the dependency of these agricultural crops on pesticides and chemicals and to contribute to the sustainable development of these crops with regards to both production and productivity, The United Fruit Company initiated the original banana program in 1958. FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) has continued this work and expanded the program to include plantains back in 1984. Presently, this program is a world leader in terms of improving bananas and plantains. Varieties developed by this program are being used to commercially produce fruit in various countries, and they are also being studied and analyzed in about 50 countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceanic, FHIA (Fundación Hondureña de Investigacion Agrícola) has already made available internationally the following hybrids: FHIA-01, FHIA-02, FHIA-03, and FHIA-21. These hybrids are now positively contributing to food production in various countries throughout the world. FHIA-01 and FHIA-02 are being introduced into export markets of organic products. The main characteristic of these hybrids is their resistance to various diseases that have recently devastated plantations throughout the world - including Black Sigatoka, Panama Disease and Bacterial Wilt (Sigatoka Negra, Mal de Panamá y Moko). FHIA-1 This fruit is an alternative for local consumption (ripe or green) or exported to international organic products market. It's resistant to three strains of Panama Disease and to crown rot. These diseases have recently caused large losses in the export banana business. FHIA-01 is also resistant to Black Sigatoka, which makes it a high growth potential crop in the organic products market. Ethylene should not be used for ripening since the fruit's flavor is enhanced and the texture becomes firmer when naturally ripened. It produces strong plants of high yields in adverse conditions of poor rainfall and soil. It is able to withstand temperatures even lower than that of the Cavendish variety. When ripe, the fruit tastes like apples; and the fruit tastes good even when cooked or fried green slices. FHIA-3 This strong hybrid looks like the traditional" moroca" variety that has been an integral part of the diet of many inhabitants of the Americas, Asia and Africa. FHIA-03 is highly resistant to both bacterial wilt known as marchitez bacteriana (Moko) and to the leaf spot disease known as Black Sigatoka. It's productive in poor soil and in other adverse conditions where other varieties do not grow well. It has very good qualities and may be consumed either ripe or green. This sturdy banana is capable of prospering under limited agricultural and ecological conditions. It presently contributes to the food security of various regions of the world where other traditional cooking bananas produce small yields due to various phytopathological factors. It is not apt for export since the fruit ripens very quickly after harvesting. The best way to grow this variety is in family plots and to pick fruit as needed in order to avoid unnecessary spoilage. By doing this, the remaining fruit on the tree remains green much longer. FHIA-21 is an alternative to replace the traditional "Cuerno" plantain. Its resistance to Black Sigotoka, high yields and excellent quality have made it a popular fruit that may be consumed fresh or processed. This variety is currently being grown by many small farmers and co-ops throughout Honduras with excellent results. Under similar conditions FHIA-21's yield may surpass the traditional Cuerno plantain variety by two or three times. By employing modern scientific production methods, this fruit may be profitably exported to international markets. At the present time there are commercial plantations growing this variety in Honduras, Nicaragua and Ecuador. (095)

HIGHLIGHTS: Disease resistance.

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