Costus
| Costus | |
|---|---|
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| Costus pulverulentus at , Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Costaceae |
| Genus: | Costus L. |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Costus is a group of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, described by Linnaeus as a genus in 1753.[2][3] It was formerly known as Hellenia after the Finnish botanist Carl Niclas von Hellens.[4] It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.[1][5][6]
Costus is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as Zingiber (true ginger) by its spiraling stems. The genus as a whole is thus often called spiral gingers, but this can also refer to C. barbatus specifically.
Costus spectabilis is the floral emblem of Nigeria; its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms. It is important not to confuse Costus speciosus, C. spectabilis etc. with the herb known by the common name "costus".
Some species are of importance to herbivores, such as caterpillars of the restricted demon (Notocrypta curvifascia) which feed on Costus speciosus (crêpe ginger). The crêpe ginger is also a source of diosgenin, a compound used for the commercial production of various steroids, such as progesterone. In Trinidad and Tobago, a mix of juice and crushed Renealmia alpinia berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes.[7]
Species[]
- K.Schum. - Sumatra
- (Loes.) Maas - Colombia, Peru, N Brazil
- Loes. - Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ker Gawl. - trop Africa
- Maas - S Central America, NW South America
- (Loes.) J.F.Macbr. - NW South America
- Vell. - West Indies, South America
- Gagnep. - Republic of the Congo
- (Maas) Maas - Ecuador, Peru
- Maas & H.Maas - Peru
- Costus barbatus Suess - Spiral ginger - Costa Rica
- Maas & H.Maas - Peru, Bolivia
- J.Braun & K.Schum. - Cameroon
- Rowlee - - S Central America
- Meekiong, Muliati & Ipor - Sarawak
- Costus chartaceus Maas - Christmas costus - Colombia, Ecuador
- K.Schum. - Lesser Sunda Is
- Benoist - the Guianas
- Ridl. - Mindanao
- Roscoe - from Oaxaca to Ecuador
- Maas - Colombia
- Maas - Colombia
- Costus curvibracteatus Maas - from Nicaragua to Colombia
- K.Schum. - W Africa
- K.Schum. - Cameroon
- De Wild. & T.Durand - C Africa
- K.Schum. - C Africa
- García-Mend. & G.Ibarra - Veracruz
- (Afzel.) K.Schum. - trop Africa
- Meekiong, Muliati & Tawan - Sarawak
- K.Schum. - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Costus erythrophyllus Loes. - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, N Brazil
- Loes. - Peru, N Brazil, Guianas
- N.R.Salinas, Clavijo & Betancur - Colombia
- Gagnep. - C Africa
- Lock & A.D.Poulsen - Uganda
- K.Schum. - Acre
- Koechlin - Gabon, Republic of the Congo
- K.Schum. - Ecuador
- Welw. ex Ridl. - São Tomé, Príncipe, Annobón, Cameroon
- Maas - from Nicaragua to Colombia
- Rusby - Latin America, West Indies
- K.Schum. - N Brazil
- Ruiz & Pav. - from Belize to Bolivia
- Loes. - from Nicaragua to Peru
- Baker - Nigeria, Gabon
- Pellegr - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo
- Loes. - Cameroon
- Maas - Colombia, Ecuador
- Baker - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo
- K.Schum. - from Honduras to Ecuador
- H.Maas & Maas - Gabon
- Maas - N South America
- & K.Schum. - trop Africa
- Pellegr. - Gabon, Republic of the Congo
- K.Schum. - E + SE Africa
- Roscoe - W + C Africa
- Costus malortieanus H.Wendl. - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras
- K.Schum. - Cameroon
- K.Schum. - Borneo
- Maas - Costa Rica
- W.Bull - Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Meekiong, Ipor & Tawan - Sarawak
- Meekiong, Ipor & Tawan - Sarawak
- K.Schum. - Cameroon
- Maas - Costa Rica, Panama
- Baker - Gabon
- - Tibet, Yunnan
- K.Schum. - Perak
- Costus osae Maas & - Costa Rica, Colombia
- Loes. - Cameroon, Gabon
- K.Schum. - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola
- D.Don - Mexico, Central America
- Maas - Costa Rica, Panama
- Maas - Colombia
- Gleason ex Maas - Peru
- C.Presl - from Tamaulipas to Ecuador
- Woodson ex Maas - Bolivia
- Maas & - Costa Rica
- - Maluku
- Bojer - Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi
- Ruiz & Pav. - from Veracruz + Haiti to Bolivia
- H.J.P.Winkl. - W Africa
- Rowlee - Guatemala
- Costus spectabilis (Fenzl) K.Schum. - trop Africa
- Costus spicatus (Jacq.) Sw. - West Indies
- (Jacq.) Roscoe - trop South America
- Maas - N Brazil
- Standl. + L.O.Williams - Costa Rica
- K.Schum. - SE Africa
- K.Schum. - Sulawesi
- Ridl. - Nigeria
- J.Braun & K.Schum - Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon
- Gagnep. - Vietnam, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan
- Gagnep. - Central African Republic, Cameroon
- Loes. - Acre
- Maas & H.Maas - Peru
- Maas - N Brazil
- Jacq. - trop America
- Maas - Panama
- Koechlin - Gabon
- - Yunnan
- Maas - Panama, Costa Rica
- Maas - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia
- Steyerm. - Colombia, Ecuador
- J.F.Macbr. - Loreto
- Formerly placed here
Numerous other species have been called Costus over the years, but are now regarded as members of other genera. Such genera include Alpinia, Amomum, Caulokaempferia, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, Dimerocostus, Hellenia, Paracostus, Renealmia, Tapeinochilos, etc.[1]
Gallery[]
Costus guanaiensis
Costus malortieanus
Costus productus
Costus spiralis
Costus stenophyllus
Costus tapenbeckianus
References[]
- ^ a b c d World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 2 in Latin
- ^ Tropicos, Costus L.
- ^ Forsius, Arno. "Hellens, Carl Niclas von" (in Swedish). Biografiskt lexikon för Finland. Retrieved 30 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 320 闭鞘姜属 bi qiao jiang shu Costus Linnaeus
- ^ Specht, C. D. & D. W. Stevenson. 2006. A new phylogeny-based generic classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales). Taxon 55(1): 153–163.
- ^ Aweke, G., 2007. Costus afer Ker Gawl. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). Prota 11(1): Medicinal plants/Plantes médicinales 1. [CD-Rom]. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands
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