Plant Datasheet for Costus laevis maximus form

I am basing this grouping on the plant form as collected in 1898 by A. Tonduz at Tucurrique in Cartago province along the Rio Reventazón. The plant was originally described as Costus gigantea Kuntze and renamed as Costus maximus Schumann as the epiphet "giganteus" had already been used for an African plant (Costus giganteus Welw. ex Ridl. It may well be that this form is also the form of the Guatemalan plant that was described and named as Costus splendens.

I have been to the Tucurrique area and have seen these plants at the nearby Reserva La Marta and other areas on the Caribbean side (east of the Talamancas of Costa Rica) and Panama. Photos and observations of this form are included on this page. Note that some of these plants from the La Cangréja area in Puriscal (just to the north of Puntarenas) seem to be intermediate between the two forms but I have somewhat arbitrarily grouped them here. All those from Puntarenas are grouped in the skutchii group, PID 7610.

ACCESSION NOTES:
R2247 from Panama, Bocas del Toro, Almirante. Note that this collection has a long, deeply lobed ligule and could be intermediate to the "skutchi" form, but I have included it here due to the light green globular inflorescence that is characteristic of the C. maximus type.

R3035 from Costa Rica, Limon, near the town of Shiroles at about 300 meters.

R3355 from Panama, Colon, Rio Piedra at 60 meters.

R3366 from Costa Rica, Cartago, Finca Guayacan (road Turrialba to Siquires) at 700 meters. This plant closest to the type locality of C. maximus.

OBSERVATION NOTES:

Rancho Mastatal, Latitude 9.676865, Longitude -84.373809, at 300 meters elevation.

Finca Guayacan, Latitude 10.04, Longitude -83.54398, at 530 meters elevation.

Vida Silvestre La Marta, Latitude 9.78169, Longitude -83.68902, at 733 meters elevation.

Rio Piedra, Colon, Panama, Latitude 9.43197, Longitude -79.73353, at meters elevation.

La Selva, Heredia Province, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, Latitude 10.43, Longitude -84.006, at 60 meters elevation.

Shiroles, Limón Province, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.6, Longitude -82.955, at 160 meters elevation.

Leo's Place, Mastatal, San José Province, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.7, Longitude -84.364, at 300 meters elevation.

Quebrada Grande, Rancho Mastatal, San José Province, Costa Rica, Latitude 9.687, Longitude -84.374, at 300 meters elevation.