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 Photo# 15664 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15665 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15666 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15667 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15668 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15669 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' |
 Photo# 15670 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15671 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15672 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15673 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15674 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15675 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15676 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15677 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15678 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15679 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15680 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - photos by John Mood |
 Photo# 15681 Accession# R3091 Costus 'Mellow Yellow' - cultivar registry photo at www.heliconia.org |
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PLANT FAMILY: Costaceae BOTANICAL NAME: Costus 'Mellow Yellow' FORMAL SCIENTIFIC NAME: STATUS : CONTINENT: Neotropical SYNONYMS: BOTANICAL NOTES: This plant is from seed collected in 2006 at Reserva Durika in Costa Rica at nearly 2000 meters. It was not in flower at time of collection but I thought it was Costus wilsonii. Later when the seeds germinated and that plant grew to maturity it was clearly something entirely different. I thought it was either a new species or a form of Costus pictus. I returned to the area in 2011 at the peak flowering time and this plant was NOT found where I had collected seeds. After some investigation I found that the species Costus villosissimus is in the same area in a valley at lower elevation and I am guessing that this plant was from a natural hybrid of C. villosissimus pollen with C. wilsonii which is the only species found at that elevation. I believe that a hummingbird had visited the lower elevation C. villosissimus and then pollinated a C. wilsonii at the top or the ridge where the seed was collected. This was published in the December 2012 issue of the Heliconia Society International quarterly Bulletin. Cultivar Description: 'Mellow Yellow' has broad, spreading, C. villosissimus-type flowers but with non-appendaged bracts and generally shorter, sparser hairs on the vegetative parts. Basal stems display a pattern similar to the 'Heiroglyphic' form of C. pictus. Ligules are short, about 3-5 mm long with longer hairs at the ligule than the rest of the stems and leaves. The bracts are green and non-appendaged except for the lowest bracts. Flowers are broad and yellow. Cultivar Registry Photo at http://www.gingersrus.com/Registry/Costus_MellowYellow.jpg GINGERSRUS CATALOG LISTING: Costus 'Mellow Yellow' is easy to grow and easy to bring to flower. I have grown it in large pots and it quickly reaches about 8 feet and forms flowers all summer long. The yellow flowers are quite showy. I find it grows and flowers best in sunny areas, but have not tested it in full sun. I have not tested it for hardiness either but I an trying some outdoors in our mild winter of 2012-13 - not a very hard test - and will report on it later. 
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From the high mountains of Costa Rica comes this mystery Costus. I grew it from seeds collected at 1800 meters in an area of Costus wilsonii, which is what I thought it was until the seedlings matured and it finally flowered. For some time I thought I had a new species until the summer of 2011 when I returned to the collection site and solved the mystery. I now believe it to be a natural hybrid of Costus wilsonii with Costus villosissimus. It has the beautiful wide mouthed yellow flowers of the latter species and the green non-appendaged bracts of the former. I am calling it 'Mellow Yellow'.