Plant Datasheet for Costus productus 'Maroon Chalice'

GINGERSRUS CATALOG LISTING:
This plant is sometimes found under the name 'Ruby Chalice' instead of 'Maroon Chalice', and I have been told that the plant explorer and collector Mark Collins named it 'Ruby Chalice', but based on the rules of the ISHS it has been published in a qualifying publication under the name 'Maroon Chalice' so that is what I am going with.

It is uncertain whether this is a new species or a natural hybrid, or even where it originated. My guess is that Mark collected it in Peru. Costus 'Maroon Chalice' looks to me like a form of Costus productus. It gets its name from the cup-like ligules on the stems. There is another Costus known as 'Emerald Chalice' which has similar ligules that are green instead of the maroon color of this one and also has similar blooms.

Costus 'Maroon Chalice' grows to a height of about 5 feet tall and blooms in the spring. The inflorescence bracts last a long time and make the plant showy long after flowering has ended.

I don't know whether this Costus has been tested for hardiness, but just guessing, I think it would be hardy in zone 9B and maybe even 9A. It has been grown outdoors at Leu Gardens in Orlando. I grow it in filtered shade, in rich organic soil kept moist during the summer.