PLANT FAMILY: Costaceae BOTANICAL NAME: Costus nitidus aff. Monteverde Marsh FORMAL SCIENTIFIC NAME: STATUS : CONTINENT: Neotropical SYNONYMS: BOTANICAL NOTES: This unidentified Costus was found at Monteverde in Costa Rica. It was growing only in a marshy area along the Sendero Pantanoso. A similar looking specimen is in the herbarium of the Univ. of Georgia, Costa Ricas campus at San Luis near Monteverde. That specimen was collected in 1977 in the same location and there is a label by Paul Maas identifying the plant as Costus barbatus, although the live plant has little resemblance to that species. There are collection records in the same region near Pocosol that have been det'd by Paul Maas as Costus nitidus, and this one fits that species best, so I am placing it here. A thumbnail image sheet with photos of this plant and the herbarium specimen can be found at http://www.gingersrus.com/images/R3299. |