 Photo# 12358 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Alto Concepcion, Costa Rica glaucus new shoot and stem (has powdery white substance that rubs off)
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 Photo# 10791 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus on trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica In natural habitat,
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 Photo# 10792 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus on trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica In natural habitat,
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 Photo# 10793 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus on trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica In natural habitat,
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 Photo# 10794 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus on trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica In natural habitat,
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 Photo# 10795 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus on trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica In natural habitat,
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 Photo# 12359 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica bract, bracteole and calyx
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 Photo# 12360 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica corolla lobes
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 Photo# 12361 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica corolla lobes
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 Photo# 12362 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 12363 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica labellum
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 Photo# 12364 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica inflo. of plant in front of Cerro Nara Lodge
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 Photo# 12365 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Cerro Nara, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10796 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami, Florida
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 Photo# 10797 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami, Florida ligule
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 Photo# 10798 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami, Florida
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 Photo# 10799 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10800 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10801 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10802 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10803 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10804 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10805 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica flower
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 Photo# 10806 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica ligule
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 Photo# 10807 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica glaucus new shoot
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 Photo# 10808 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica corolla lobe
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 Photo# 10809 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica labellum
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 Photo# 10810 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica labellum
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 Photo# 10811 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica labellum and stamen
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 Photo# 10812 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica stamen
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 Photo# 10813 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica stamen
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 Photo# 10814 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica inflorescense
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 Photo# 10815 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica ligule
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 Photo# 10816 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica over 20 feet tall!
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 Photo# 10817 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica leaves
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 Photo# 10818 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica inflorescense
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 Photo# 10819 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica bracts
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 Photo# 10820 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica bracts
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 Photo# 10821 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica bracteole and calyx
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 Photo# 10822 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica bracteole
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 Photo# 10823 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica bracteole
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 Photo# 10824 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica calyx
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 Photo# 10825 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at La Gamba Biological Research Station, Costa Rica calyx
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 Photo# 12366 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at PN Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica ligule
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 Photo# 12367 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Quebrada Grande, La Cangreja, Costa Rica ligule
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 Photo# 12368 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Quebrada Grande, La Cangreja, Costa Rica old inflo. (same plant as seen on Island in May without flowers)
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 Photo# 12668 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Dave Skinner at Waimea Audubon Center, Oahu, Hawaii Audubon Center, Oahu, Hawaii #86P447
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 Photo# 17979 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Rafiki, near Quepos, Costa Rica - showing powdery white covering
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 Photo# 17980 Specimen# R0 Costus glaucus at Rafiki, near Quepos, Costa Rica - ligule
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 Photo# 18025 Specimen# R3363 Costus glaucus From Costa Rica, Cartago
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 Photo# 18026 Specimen# R3363 Costus glaucus From Costa Rica, Cartago
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 Photo# 18027 Specimen# R3363 Costus glaucus From Costa Rica, Cartago
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 Photo# 18028 Specimen# R3363 Costus glaucus From Costa Rica, Cartago
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CLICK HERE for a detailed botanical description and identification key for this species (opens in new window). CLICK HERE to see a description of accession #R3271 . (opens in new window). CLICK HERE to see a description of accession #R3270 . (opens in new window). CLICK HERE to see a description of accession #R3269 . (opens in new window).
PLANT FAMILY: Costaceae BOTANICAL NAME: Costus glaucus FORMAL SCIENTIFIC NAME: Costus glaucus Maas STATUS :Accepted CONTINENT: Neotropical SYNONYMS:
BOTANICAL NOTES: This is an accepted neo-tropical Costus species described by Paul Maas in 1976. As he describes it, this plant can grow quite tall, up to 4 meters. The young plants are completely glaucus (white powdery covering) but older plants not so much. The ligules are long and bi-lobed. It is terminal flowering with light green and glaucus non-appendaged bracts on the exposed part, pinkish underneath. The flowers are rather distinctive, with red and yellow colors. The corolla is yellow but sometimes with an unusual red center. The labellum is mostly red striped with yellow and a yellow throat.Holotype: collected in 1974 by Paul Maas at Cartago, Turrialba, Rio Reventazón at 600 m. I have seen this species several places in Costa Rica, with a wide range but not common, usually below 500 m, Golfo Dulce area, Cerro Nara, La Cangreja At La Gamba Research Station - cultivated in garden, over 20 feet tall, inflo very large, over 12 inches. flower parts photographed July 2, 2005. Several specimens observed between Drake and Rincon on Osa Peninsula. Along Quebrada Grande in La Cangreja In Cerro Nara area at higher altitudes (ca 900 m), local specimen planted in front of Cerro Nara Lodge In 2014 I completed an IUCN Red List assessment for this species and it is now classified as Near Threatened. My assessment rationale can be found at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/56345900/0. I can usually recognize it by the white powdery substance on the newly emerging stems and sometimes also on mature stems and bracts. It is a very large plant in stature and the ligules are long and deeply lobed. The inflorescence is usually round at the apex except in very old plants where it is more elongated. I have seen two plants that look to be very close to C. glaucus and have them described and photos on separate pages atPID 7566 (now called Costus 'Red Baron') andPID 7525 (Costus from Tulipe) . Specimen at Waimea 86P447 (had as Costus sp.) - received 1986 from Rob Montgomery, Costa Rica. Collected 14 km NE of Palmar. In July 2016 I went to the type locality at the organization CATIE near Turrialba in Cartago Province, Costa Rica. Costus glaucus was found there, both in habitat and in the botanical garden there.
ACCESSION NOTES: R2951 was received from Tom Wood, origin unknown. This collection has been vouchered at the UC Berkeley, Jepsen Herbarium, UC2045816.R3363 and R3364 - seeds and stem cutting collected at CATIE type locality, germinated and growing well as of January 2017. OBSERVATION NOTES:CATIE, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.905270154, Longitude -83.76970723, at meters elevation. Cerro Nara, Londres, Santa MarÃa, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.449427787, Longitude -84.16521999, at 800 meters elevation. Trail near Rancho Quemado, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Latitude 8.668424387, Longitude -83.50529271, at 400 meters elevation. Rafiki, San José Province, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.509429684, Longitude -83.90862117, at 168 meters elevation. GINGERSRUS CATALOG LISTING:
Costus glaucus is named for the whitish "glaucus" covering on the new shoots, bracts (usually) and other vegetative parts, but it is not the only Costus that ever has that appearance. It is closest to Costus laevis and I have sometimes gotten them confused in the wild. What distinguishes C. glaucus besides the glaucus is the longer lobed ligules, over 15 mm and up to 55 mm. It is also usually much taller, up to 20 feet tall and with straighter stems.
It has large leaves and a colorful flower against the green bracts. I have usually found it growing in sunny areas and it should do well in full to part sun. I have not tested this for hardiness and assume it would only be hardy in frost free areas.
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