Brief overview of diversity of wild Indian Musaceae

Abstract

The history of Musaceae taxonomy in India is briefly presented. The maximum diversity and distribution of Musaceae is located in the northeastern States, with 30 taxa of which 19 are endemic to the region. This represents about 81% of the total wild Musaceae diversity in India. This also indicates that the region bordering with Bangladesh, China and Myanmar is a biodiversity-rich area for Musaceae and strengthen the view that this region is considered as one of the major centers of origin of the family Musaceae. The second largest Musaceae diversity in India is found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where three taxa are present all of which are endemic. In the Western Ghats, three taxa are present, including one endemic taxon, and the same is the case in Eastern Ghats. During this work, two species are found to be extinct from the wild and 19 taxa are categorized as threatened.