The male buds of 16 Musa species (Musaceae) populations were investigated by HPLC for the
occurrence of anthocyanins. The investigation was based on the presence of 6 anthocyanins. The 16 Musa
samples could be classified into three distinct species i.e. Musa acuminata, Musa violascens and Musa
balbisiana. Musa acuminata could be divided into two subspecies : malaccensis (lowland) and tmncata
(highland) according to their constituents and content of major anthocyanins. No variation was observed in
the composition of the anthocyanins of Kedah type ssp. siamea and Selangor types ssp. malaccensis. The
classification of M. acuminata into two subspecies based on anthocyanin data further supported the current
taxonomic grouping of the species.