Costus chartaceus Maas - Christmas costus - Colombia, Ecuador.Costus bullatus Meekiong, Muliati & Ipor - Sarawak.Costus bracteatus Rowlee - S Central America.Costus beckii Maas & H.Maas - Peru, Bolivia.Costus barbatus Suess - Spiral ginger - Costa Rica.Costus asteranthus Maas & H.Maas - Peru.Costus asplundii (Maas) Maas - Ecuador, Peru.Costus allenii Maas - S Central America, NW South America.Costus acreanus ( Loes.) Maas - Colombia, Peru, N Brazil.In Trinidad and Tobago, a mix of Costus scaber juice and crushed Renealmia alpinia berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes. The crêpe ginger is also a source of diosgenin, a compound used for the commercial production of various steroids, such as progesterone. Some species are of importance to herbivores, such as caterpillars of the restricted demon ( Notocrypta curvifascia) which feed on Costus speciosus (crêpe ginger). with the herb known by the common name ' costus'. It is important not to confuse Costus speciosus, C. barbatus specifically.Ĭostus spectabilis is the floral emblem of Nigeria its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms. The genus as a whole is thus often called spiral gingers, but this can also refer to C. Ĭostus is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as Zingiber (true ginger) by its spiraling stems. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It was formerly known as Hellenia after the Finnish botanist Carl Niclas von Hellens. The yellow flowers that emerge from the red cones are edible.See Catherine of Alexandria for the man named Costus often held to be her father.Ĭostus pulverulentus at Rara Avis, Costa RicaĬostus is a group of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, described by Linnaeus as a genus in 1753. The plant can withstand a light frost for short periods of time but will stop blooming and won't look very good. Temperatures has a lot to do with flowering. Avoid if possible getting the foliage wet when watering.įertilization is also average with more during the warm weather and very little during the winter. A little moist during the warm weather and a little drier during the cold weather. Costus woodsonii Red Button Ginger, Scarlet spiral flag, French Kiss, Dwarf Cone Ginger

Costus woodsonii red button ginger