Genus of flowering plants
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 Costus scaber juice and crushed Renealmia alpinia berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes .[7]
Species
Costus acanthocephalus K.Schum. - Sumatra
Costus acreanus (Loes. ) Maas - Colombia, Peru, N Brazil
Costus adolphi-friderici Loes. - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Costus afer Ker Gawl. - trop Africa
Costus allenii Maas - S Central America, NW South America
Costus amazonicus (Loes.) J.F.Macbr. - NW South America
Costus arabicus Vell. - West Indies, South America
Costus araneosus Gagnep. - Republic of the Congo
Costus asplundii (Maas) Maas - Ecuador, Peru
Costus asteranthus Maas & H.Maas - Peru
Costus barbatus Suess - Spiral ginger - Costa Rica
Costus beckii Maas & H.Maas - Peru, Bolivia
Costus bicolor J.Braun & K.Schum. - Cameroon
Costus bracteatus Rowlee - - S Central America
Costus bullatus Meekiong, Muliati & Ipor - Sarawak
Costus chartaceus Maas - Christmas costus - Colombia, Ecuador
Costus chrysocephalus K.Schum. - Lesser Sunda Is
Costus claviger Benoist - the Guianas
Costus clemensiae Ridl. - Mindanao
Costus comosus Roscoe - from Oaxaca to Ecuador
Costus cordatus Maas - Colombia
Costus cupreifolius Maas - Colombia
Costus curvibracteatus Maas - from Nicaragua to Colombia
Costus deistellii K.Schum. - W Africa
Costus dendrophilus K.Schum. - Cameroon
Costus dewevrei De Wild. & T.Durand - C Africa
Costus dinklagei K.Schum. - C Africa
Costus dirzoi García-Mend. & G.Ibarra - Veracruz
Costus dubius (Afzel. ) K.Schum. - trop Africa
Costus eburneus Meekiong, Muliati & Tawan - Sarawak
Costus erythrocoryne K.Schum. - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Costus erythrophyllus Loes. - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, N Brazil
Costus erythrothyrsus Loes. - Peru, N Brazil, Guianas
Costus fissicalyx N.R.Salinas, Clavijo & Betancur - Colombia
Costus fissiligulatus Gagnep. - C Africa
Costus foliaceus Lock & A.D.Poulsen - Uganda
Costus fortalezae K.Schum. - Acre
Costus gabonensis Koechlin - Gabon, Republic of the Congo
Costus geothyrsus K.Schum. - Ecuador
Costus giganteus Welw. ex Ridl. - São Tomé , Príncipe , Annobón , Cameroon
Costus glaucus Maas - from Nicaragua to Colombia
Costus guanaiensis Rusby - Latin America, West Indies
Costus juruanus K.Schum. - N Brazil
Costus laevis Ruiz & Pav. - from Belize to Bolivia
Costus lasius Loes. - from Nicaragua to Peru
Costus lateriflorus Baker - Nigeria, Gabon
Costus le-testui Pellegr - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo
Costus ledermannii Loes. - Cameroon
Costus leucanthus Maas - Colombia, Ecuador
Costus ligularis Baker - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo
Costus lima K.Schum. - from Honduras to Ecuador
Costus loangensis H.Maas & Maas - Gabon
Costus longebracteolatus Maas - N South America
Costus lucanusianus J.Braun & K.Schum. - trop Africa
Costus maboumiensis Pellegr. - Gabon, Republic of the Congo
Costus macranthus K.Schum. - E + SE Africa
Costus maculatus Roscoe - W + C Africa
Costus malortieanus H.Wendl. - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras
Costus megalobractea K.Schum. - Cameroon
Costus microcephalus K.Schum. - Borneo
Costus montanus Maas - Costa Rica
Costus mosaicus W.Bull - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Costus muluensis Meekiong, Ipor & Tawan - Sarawak
Costus mulus Meekiong, Ipor & Tawan - Sarawak
Costus nemotrichus K.Schum. - Cameroon
Costus nitidus Maas - Costa Rica, Panama
Costus nudicaulis Baker - Gabon
Costus oblongus S.Q.Tong - Tibet , Yunnan
Costus oligophyllus K.Schum. - Perak
Costus osae Maas & H.Maas - Costa Rica, Colombia
Costus phaeotrichus Loes. - Cameroon, Gabon
Costus phyllocephalus K.Schum. - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola
Costus pictus D.Don - Mexico, Central America
Costus plicatus Maas - Costa Rica, Panama
Costus plowmanii Maas - Colombia
Costus productus Gleason ex Maas - Peru
Costus pulverulentus C.Presl - from Tamaulipas to Ecuador
Costus quasi-appendiculatus Woodson ex Maas - Bolivia
Costus ricus Maas & H.Maas - Costa Rica
Costus rumphianus Valeton ex K.Heyne - Maluku
Costus sarmentosus Bojer - Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi
Costus scaber Ruiz & Pav. - from Veracruz + Haiti to Bolivia
Costus schlechteri H.J.P.Winkl. - W Africa
Costus sepacuitensis Rowlee - Guatemala
Costus spectabilis (Fenzl) K.Schum. - trop Africa
Costus spicatus (Jacq.) Sw. - West Indies
Costus spiralis (Jacq. ) Roscoe - trop South America
Costus sprucei Maas - N Brazil
Costus stenophyllus Standl. + L.O.Williams - Costa Rica
Costus subbiflorus K.Schum. - SE Africa
Costus sulfureus K.Schum. - Sulawesi
Costus talbotii Ridl. - Nigeria
Costus tapenbeckianus J.Braun & K.Schum - Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon
Costus tonkinensis Gagnep. - Vietnam, Guangdong , Guangxi , Yunnan
Costus ubangiensis Gagnep. - Central African Republic , Cameroon
Costus ulei Loes. - Acre
Costus vargasii Maas & H.Maas - Peru
Costus varzearum Maas - N Brazil
Costus villosissimus Jacq. - trop America
Costus vinosus Maas - Panama
Costus violaceus Koechlin - Gabon
Costus viridis S.Q.Tong - Yunnan
Costus wilsonii Maas - Panama, Costa Rica
Costus woodsonii Maas - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia
Costus zamoranus Steyerm. - Colombia, Ecuador
Costus zingiberoides J.F.Macbr. - Loreto [1]
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]