Costus Species Botanical Description

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Costus afer
Costus afer Ker Gawl.

Accession # R2911 identified as Costus afer from Le Jardin Ombragé
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Photo# 15215 Specimen# R0
Costus after, plant cultivated in Thailand, photo by John Mood, John says it is fragrant

Photo# 15216 Specimen# R0
Costus after, plant cultivated in Thailand, photo by John Mood

Photo# 15217 Specimen# R0
Costus after, plant cultivated in Thailand, photo by John Mood

Photo# 15218 Specimen# R0
Costus after, plant cultivated in Thailand, photo by John Mood

Photo# 15214 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15191 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15213 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15212 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15211 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15210 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15209 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15208 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15207 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15206 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15205 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15204 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15203 Specimen# R2911
Costus afer Ker Gawl.
From cultivated,

Photo# 15202 Specimen# R0
Costus afer at US Bot. Garden Conservatory, Washington, DC

Photo# 15201 Specimen# R0
Costus afer at US Bot. Garden Conservatory, Washington, DC - ligule

Photo# 15200 Specimen# R0
Costus afer at US Bot. Garden Conservatory, Washington, DC - basal inflorescence

BOTANICAL NAME: Costus afer
SUBGENUS:
GROUP:
SECTION:
PRIMARY SOURCE USED FOR DESCRIPTION:Koechlin - Flore du Gabon, Flora du Cameroun, 1965
SECONDARY SOURCES:Lock - Flora of Tropical East Africa, 1985
LAST UPDATED:
NOTES AND DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:KOECHLIN KEY: Plants with upright stems, with many leaves arranged along the stem, or grouped toward the top. Inflorescence terminal on a leafy main stem. Bracts without appendage or only on lower bracts. Large plants, several meters high, ligule short and non-membranous. Bracts green, more or less bordered with red, each producing 2 flowers. C. afer distinguished from C. lucanusianunus by the following:
Separation at sheath-ligule marked by a thickening more or less clear-cut, but no hairs and never entirely surrounding the sheath.
Calyx not longer than bracts
Leaves glabrous or nearly so.
Flowers are the same as C. lucanusianus (ci-dessus)

NOTE: I have the form of Costus afer with both terminal and radical inflorescence. Koechlin mentions a different form that flowers both terminal on a leafy stem and basal on a separate leafless stem, described by A. Chevalier at the Ivory Coast, he named Costus prodigiosus. Lock says this has NOT been observed in East Africa specimens.

Photos to the left are believed to be C. afer.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION:Tropical Africa - Gabon, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, westward to Sierra Leone, moist places in forest and at forest edges, 190-1200 m.
HEIGHT:1 to 4 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

0 to 0 cm 0 to 0 cm
Sheath
green

0 to 0 cm 0 to 12 mm
Ligule marquee by a line in relief, on both sides of the

truncate-ondulee
4 to 12 mm 0 to 0 mm
Petiole

3 to 8 mm 0 to 0 mm

Leaf

oblanceolate, slightly rounded
15 to 35 cm 3 to 9 cm

...upper
dark green
glabrous
papery, coriacious

...under

glabrous, line of hairs at margiun

...base

...apex

acuminate
0 to 0 mm

Inflorescence Basal - from separate leafless shoot

globular
0 to 0 cm 3 to 4 cm

Bract bracts covering the calyx
green w/ red margins

ovate to broadly elliptical
2.0 to 3.5 cm 3.0 to 0.0 cm

Appendage NONE

0.0 to 0.0 cm 0.0 to 0.0 cm

Bracteole

carinate, callus on appendage
boat shape
2.5 to 0.0 cm 0.8 to 0.0 cm

Flower slightly fragrant, 2 fowers per bract
white

0 to 0 cm 0 to 0 cm

Calyx
pale green, reddish margin
glabrous or slightly pubescent at the apex
thin, almost transparent
3 lobed
1.7 to 2.0 cm 0.0 to 0.0 cm

Corolla
white

chartaceous

4.0 to 4.5 cm 0.0 to 0.0 cm

Labellum
white, pink-violet margin, yellow-orange blotch

funnel, margins slightly irregular
5.0 to 6.0 cm 0.0 to 0.0 cm

Stamen

3.0 to 0.0 cm 1.2 to 0.0 cm

**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						0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Sheath		green				0 to 0 cm	0 to 12 mm
Ligule	marquee by a line in relief, on both sides of the				truncate-ondulee	4 to 12 mm	0 to 0 mm
Petiole						3 to 8 mm	0 to 0 mm
Leaf					oblanceolate, slightly rounded	15 to 35 cm	3 to 9 cm
...upper		dark green	glabrous	papery, coriacious
...under			glabrous, line of hairs at margiun
...base
...apex					acuminate	0 to 0 mm
Inflorescence	Basal - from separate leafless shoot				globular	0 to 0 cm	3 to 4 cm
Bract	bracts covering the calyx	green w/ red margins			ovate to broadly elliptical	2.0 to 3.5 cm	3.0 to 0.0 cm
Appendage	NONE					0.0 to 0.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Bracteole				carinate, callus on appendage	boat shape	2.5 to 0.0 cm	0.8 to 0.0 cm
Flower	slightly fragrant, 2 fowers per bract	white				0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Calyx		pale green, reddish margin	glabrous or slightly pubescent at the apex	thin, almost transparent	3 lobed	1.7 to 2.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Corolla		white		chartaceous		4.0 to 4.5 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Labellum		white, pink-violet margin, yellow-orange blotch			funnel, margins slightly irregular	5.0 to 6.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Stamen						3.0 to 0.0 cm	1.2 to 0.0 cm

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