Two new species of wild ornamental Musa (Musaceae) from Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India

The comparative morphological characteristics of two new wild ornamental banana species (Musa bracteata and Musa siangensis) from Arunachal Pradesh, India are described as compared to Musa arunachalensis. The important characteristics described include habit, pseudostem, leaf, Inflorescence, bracts, female and male buds, male and female flowers, fruit, and seeds. These characters are described with supporting data. Conservation efforts through their live collections and growing have also been made. These two new banana species are discovered and described in the Nordic Journal of Botany.

Methods
Extensive field visits were made in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India for collection and record of the wild Banana (Musa) species. Morphological characterizations were made for all the described species collected using the descriptors for bananas (IPGRI-INIBAP/CIRAD 1996). The data were collected manually during field visits on standardized data formats (printed copies) and then entered into data sheets (MS Excel). For identification, the collected specimens were compared with the existing Musa species using published taxonomic literature, monographs, herbaria, and online resources. The herbarium specimens were prepared following standard techniques and submitted to nearby herbaria (ASSAM and CAL).

For the conservation of these two species, live collections of the banana plants have been made and grown on the campus.