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Photo# 15138 Specimen# R0 Photo of Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus from Dr. Paul Maas.

Photo# 17523 Specimen# R0 Costus amazonicus subsp. krukovii, isotype at NYBG, collected in Brazil, Amazonas, Rio Madeira in 1934.

Photo# 17524 Specimen# R0 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, at the National Herbarium in Quito, collected in Ecuador, Pastaza.

Photo# 17581 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Terminal inflorescence.

Photo# 17582 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

Photo# 17583 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

Photo# 17584 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Basal inflorescence (leaflessshoot)

Photo# 17585 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Corolla lobes, stamen, labellum.

Photo# 17586 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

Photo# 17587 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Upper leaf surface.

Photo# 17588 Specimen# R3335 Costus amazonicus subsp. amazonicus, along Piuntza road, Yacuambi area, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador. Lower leaf surface.

The plant photos to the left were identified by others as C. amazonicus but I have doubts about them. This species has been problematic for me. I will be adding more details and photos of what I believe to be C. amazonicus soon.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION:Rainforests from 100 to 1100 meters, in Amazonian Brazil,Ecuador and Peru
HEIGHT:1 to 3 meters

Botanical Description for this Species
For illustrations or explanation of terminology, click on the linked plant part or column header.
Descriptions used for plant identification key are shown in BOLD.

Plant Part	General	Color	Hairs	Texture	Shape	Length	Width
Rhizome			variable			0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Sheath			glabrous to sparsely strigulose or villose			0 to 0 cm	10 to 23 mm
Ligule	short, 1-15 mm		variable		truncate	5 to 15 mm	0 to 0 mm
Petiole			densely ferrugineous-hirsute			0 to 20 mm	0 to 0 mm
Leaf					narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate	15 to 44 cm	5 to 12 cm
...upper			variable
...under			variable
...base					cuneate to rounded
...apex					shortly acuminate	5 to 10 mm
Inflorescence	6-7 cm wide, Either terminal on a separate leafless shoot or on a leafy stem.				ovoid to cylindric-obtuse	4 to 16 cm	6 to 7 cm
Bract	not velutinous, margins delacerating into fibers, callus 5-10 mm	green, covered part red	exposed part glabrescent, covered strigose to glab	thick, coriaceousmargins entire or fibers	broadly ovate, obtuse	2.5 to 5.5 cm	2.5 to 5.5 cm
Appendage	none					0.0 to 0.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Bracteole			glabrous to densely puberulous	margins entire or dilacerating into fibers	boat shape	2.7 to 3.5 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Flower						0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Calyx	10-19 mm long		glabrous to densely puberulous		lobes shallowly triangular to deltate	1.7 to 1.9 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Corolla	tube15-20 mm long	yellow, orange-yellow, or yellowish white	lobes puberulous, glabrous?		lobes narrowly obovate	8.0 to 9.0 cm	2.0 to 3.0 cm
Labellum	lateral lobes striped with dark red, middle lobe with a yellow, red-margined blotch in the center	yellow w/red venation, large spreading			broadly obovate	6.0 to 9.0 cm	5.0 to 7.0 cm
Stamen	apex narrowly lobed, anther 8-11 mm	reddish			narrowly elliptic	4.0 to 5.5 cm	0.7 to 1.5 cm