Costus
- See Catherine of Alexandria for the man named Costus often held to be her father.
Costus | |
---|---|
Costus pulverulentus at Rara Avis, Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Monocots |
(unranked): | Commelinids |
Order: | Zingiberales |
Family: | Costaceae |
Genus: | Costus L. |
Synonyms[1] | |
Costus is a group of perennial herbaceous plants in the family (Costaceae) described by Linnaeus as a genus in 1753.[2][3] It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.[1][4][5]
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.[6]
- Species[1]
- Costus acanthocephalus K.Schum. - Sumatra
- Costus acreanus (Loes.) Maas - Colombia, Peru, N Brazil
- Costus adolphi-friderici Loes. - Zaïre
- 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. - Congo Republic
- 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, Congo Rep
- 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, Congo Rep
- Costus ledermannii Loes. - Cameroon
- Costus leucanthus Maas - Colombia, Ecuador
- Costus ligularis Baker - Cameroon, Gabon, Congo Rep
- 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, Congo Rep
- 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 - Zaïre
- 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. - Zaïre, Congo Rep, 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 - Congo Rep, Cameroon, Gabon
- Costus tonkinensis Gagnep. - Vietnam, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan
- Costus ubangiensis Gagnep. - Cen Afr Rep, 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
- Formerly placed here[1]
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, Chamaecostus, Dimerocostus, Hellenia, Paracostus, Renealmia, Tapeinochilos, etc.
References
- 1 2 3 4 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 2 in Latin
- ↑ Tropicos, Costus L.
- ↑ 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Costus. |