Musa ingens (Musa ingens)
Description
The plant species Musa ingens is the physically largest member of the family Musaceae. Growing in the tropical montane forests of New Guinea - Arfak Mountains Regency - Indonesia, its leaves can reach a length of 5 meters (16 feet) and a width of 1 m (39 inches). The "trunk" (actually the tightly rolled petioles (or stalks) of its leaves; the longest petioles of any known plant) is typically up to 49 feet (15 meters) in height, and with the leaves having a total height of 66 feet (20 meters). However, since its discovery in 1954 taller individuals up to one hundred feet (30 meters) have been reported, but these measurements have yet to be confirmed by a specific scientific study. Photos exist of M. ingens "trunks" up to 37 inches (94 cm) in diameter at breast height. Its fruit, in a cluster weighing up to 132 lbs (60 kg), is inedible. This cluster is borne on a peduncle up to 4 inches (10 cm) thick and up to 49 ft (15 m) in length, again the longest of any known plant.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Zingiberales
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Family: Musaceae
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Genus: Musa
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