Costus woodsonii
Maas
Bitter cane, Red button cane, Scarlet spiral ginger
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Andrea Lynn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Andrea Lynn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Andrea Lynn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaCostus woodsonii, the red button ginger or scarlet spiral flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Costaceae, native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. A rhizomatous geophytic perennial, it is recommended for coastal gardens, borders, containers, and general wet, tropical garden applications. It is more widely cultivated than other species of Costus. Costus woodsonii was first described by Paul Maas in 1972 and is named for Robert Woodson of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Costus woodsonii flowers all year round. Unlike other Costaceae, Costus woodsonii can grow in sandy, coastal areas.
Description
A herb. It grows 1-2 m high. It spreads by underground stems or rhizomes. The stem spirals. The leaves are shiny and 15 cm long. The base is heart shaped. The flowers form a pine like cone at the top. There are thick red bracts overlapping each flower. The fruit are spongy and white with black seeds.
Edible Uses
The flowers are eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows near the beach on the Caribbean side in Costa Rica. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens.
Where It Grows
Asia, Australia, Central America*, Columbia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Marquesas, Nicaragua, Pacific, Panama, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Tuvalu,
Also Known As
Costus oranye
References (4)
- Kew Plants of the World On line
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1095
- Thaman, R. R, 2016, The flora of Tuvalu. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 611. Smithsonian Institute p 57
- Zuchowski W., 2007, Tropical Plants of Costa Rica. A Zona Tropical Publication, Comstock Publishing. p 347
