The ethnobotany of Musella lasiocarpa (Musaceae), an endemic plant of southwest China.-Musella lasiocarpa (Franch.) C. Y Wu ex H. W. Li is endemic to conifer-oak mixed forests at 1500-2500 m in southwestern China (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). This species was recognized by modern botanists in 1889 (7) and elevated to generic rank in 1978 (1), but had been precisely illustrated and described much earlier in Wu Chi-Chun's (8) Zhi-Wu Ming-shi Tu-Kao (1844) and also in Lan Mao's (9) Dian Nan Ben-Cao (herb medicine in Southern Yunnan) (18871888). Musella has been used by local people for many centuries in southwestern China although its customary use has been very poorly reported in ethnobotanical literature. Wild populations are as yet unknown as a result of the highly fragmented habitats and intensely cultivated regions where it is now known to occur. Here we describe the local use of Musella lasiocarpa in southwestern China and draw attention to its present state of conservation. Musella lasiocarpa is a large, perennial herb with rhizomatous growth. The pseudostem is composed of closely packed, persistent leaf sheaths and grows to 120 cm tall and 20 cm diam. at base. The entire leaf blades are pinnately veined. The erect, terminal inflorescence is born directly at the apex of the pseudostem and is composed of congested, spathe-like, yellow or bright yellow orange persistent bracts (see http:llwww.ftg.org/horticulture/musellalasiocarpa and Fig. IA and B). The flowers are arranged in "lines" or "hands" above each bract of the inflorescence with female flowers at the base and male flowers in the middle and at the top of the inflorescence. The berry-like fruits are trigonous, ovoid, and densely hirsute. The dark brown to black seeds are numerous, oblate, 6-8 mm diam., and glabrous. Flowering occurs year-round but is concentrated between February and August (5). The development of fruit and seed usually requires about six months after pollination. Unlike other members of the tropical banana family (Musaceae), this plant is restricted to relatively dry and cool environments where it propagates naturally by rhizomes and seeds (6). Musella is known locally by the Yi ethnic group as "A-de," "Ngadau," or "Ngaptisao" and by the Han and other ethnic groups as "Aibajiao" (short banana), "Di-bajiao" (ground banana), or "Shan-bajiao" (rock banana). Usually, different names are applied in the same village due to the presence of different ethnic groups. In the literature, Musella has been recorded as "Ngay-tsiao" ("rock banana," 7), "Di-Yun-JinLian" ("Golden lotus rising from the ground," 1, 2, 3, 4), and "Jin-Lian-Bao-Xiang" ("Golden Holly Lotus," 8). The main use of Musella has been reported as a medicine (1, 2, 3), food, and fodder (10), but detailed accounts of its usage are still poorly known. Based on our extensive field investigations and local interviews, we provide here a description of the use of this plant in local communities in China.