CLICK HERE for a detailed botanical description and identification key for this species (opens in new window). PLANT FAMILY: Costaceae BOTANICAL NAME: Costus albus FORMAL SCIENTIFIC NAME: STATUS :synonym CONTINENT: African SYNONYMS: BOTANICAL NOTES: This African species is placed in synonymy with Costus dubius (PID#3597) in Paul Maas' monograph on African Costaceae, published on 16 December 2016. (Monograph of African Costaceae, H. Maas-van de Kamer, P.J.M. Maas, J.J. Wieringa, C.D. Specht, Blumea 61, 2016: 280 - 318, http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/nhn/blumea/2016/00000061/00000003/art00010) It was included in J. Koechlin's Flore du Gabon (1964) and also in his Flore du Cameroun (1965). He described as basal flowering, one flower per bract. Dr. Paul Maas has been working on a new monograph for the African Costus, and it will be interesting to find out if he keeps this species name or includes it in C. dubius as Locke did in the Flora of East Africa. The African Plant Database lists this species as a syn. For C. dubius. There are several African species that are easily confused with each other as they are superficially similar looking. The various names and PIDs where information is stored on this website are as follows: |