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Botanical Description page for GingersRus plant database number " 3602 ".

You can select the botanical description of a different plant from this list: Click arrow to see list, then click GO Chamaecostus congestiflorus Chamaecostus curcumoides Chamaecostus cuspidatus Chamaecostus fragilis Chamaecostus fusiformis Chamaecostus lanceolatus Chamaecostus subsessilis Cheilocostus globosus Cheilocostus lacerus Cheilocostus speciosus Cheilocostus sopuensis Costus "El Whiskey" Costus sp. from Cabo Matapalo Costus acreanus Costus afer Costus albus Costus allenii Costus amazonicus Costus arabicus Costus asplundii Costus asteranthus Costus barbatus Costus beckii Costus bracteatus Costus chartaceus Costus claviger Costus claviger aff Costus comosus var. bakeri Costus comosus Costus cordatus Costus cupreifolius Costus curvibracteatus Costus deistelii Costus dewevrei Costus dirzoi Costus dubius Costus erythrocoryne Costus erythrophyllus Costus erythrothyrsus Costus fissiligulatus Costus foliaceus Costus gabonensis Costus geothyrsus Costus glaucus Costus guanaiensis Costus guanaiensis var. macrostrobilacius Costus guanaiensis var. tarmicus Costus juruanus Costus laevis Costus lasius Costus lateriflorus Costus letestui Costus leucanthus Costus ligularis Costus lima Costus longebracteolatus Costus lucanusianus var. major Costus lucanusianus Costus Maas species A Costus Maas species B Costus maboumiensis Costus macranthus Costus maculatus Costus malortieanus Costus montanus Costus nitidus Costus nudicaulis Costus oblongus Costus osae Costus phaeotrichus Costus pictus Costus plicatus Costus plowmanii Costus potierae Costus productus Costus pulverulentus Costus quasi-appendiculatus Costus ricus Costus sarmentosus Costus scabe Costus spectabilis Costus spicatus Costus spiralis Costus sprucei Costus stenophyllus Costus subbiflorus Costus tappenbeckianus Costus tonkinensis Costus vargasii Costus varzearum Costus villosissimus Costus vinosus Costus violaceus Costus viridis Costus wilsonii Costus woodsonii Costus zamoranus Costus zingiberoides Paracostus englerianus Paracostus paradoxus

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Costus lasius

Costus lasius Loes.

Accession # R2390 identified as Costus lasius from Le Jardin Ombragé
Accession # R3272 identified as Costus lasius from On trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
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Photo# 10996 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius leaf apex

Photo# 10997 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius corolla lobes

Photo# 10998 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius corolla lobes

Photo# 10999 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius old and new

Photo# 11000 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius old and new

Photo# 11001 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius labellum and stamen

Photo# 11002 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius labellum and stamen

Photo# 11003 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius leaf

Photo# 11004 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius ligule

Photo# 11005 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius new bracts

Photo# 11006 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius new bracts

Photo# 11007 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius bracteole and calyx

Photo# 11008 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius inflorescence

Photo# 11009 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius old bracts

Photo# 11010 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius old calyx

Photo# 11011 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11012 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11013 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11014 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11015 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius Left - new inflo., right - old spent inflo.

Photo# 11016 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11017 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius

Photo# 11018 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius flower

Photo# 11019 Specimen# R2263 Costus lasius flower

Photo# 11020 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, CA

Photo# 11021 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Reinaldo and Eva find

Photo# 11022 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 11023 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 11024 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 11025 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 11026 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 11027 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica bracts

Photo# 11028 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica bracts

Photo# 11029 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica bracteole and calyx

Photo# 11030 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica bracteole and calyx

Photo# 11031 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica flower

Photo# 11032 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica flower

Photo# 11033 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica corolla lobes

Photo# 11034 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica corolla lobes

Photo# 11035 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica labellum

Photo# 11036 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica labellum

Photo# 11037 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica stamen

Photo# 11038 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica labellum spread

Photo# 12676 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Lyon Arboretum, Oahu, Hawaii

Photo# 12677 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Lyon Arboretum, Oahu, Hawaii mature bracts turning red

Photo# 11039 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius on trail near Mogos, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Reinaldo photographing

Photo# 11040 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL

Photo# 11041 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL

Photo# 11042 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Smithsonian US Bot. Research Greenhouse, Washington, DC

Photo# 11043 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at US Bot. Garden Conservatory, Washington, DC

Photo# 16736 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Bahia Solano, Colombia

Photo# 16737 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Bahia Solano, Colombia

Photo# 16735 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Drake, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 16739 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius at Drake, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Photo# 16738 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius near Quebrada Cayapoza, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16734 Specimen# R0 Costus lasius red form, photo John Mood

Photo# 16864 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16865 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16868 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16870 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16869 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16867 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16863 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16861 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16862 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16866 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16860 Specimen# R3127 Costus lasius from Yagua Urco Mirano, Loreto, Peru

Photo# 16875 Specimen# R3132 Costus lasius glabrous form from El Valle, Panama

Photo# 16874 Specimen# R3132 Costus lasius glabrous form from El Valle, Panama

Photo# 16873 Specimen# R3132 Costus lasius glabrous form from El Valle, Panama

Photo# 16872 Specimen# R3132 Costus lasius glabrous form from El Valle, Panama

Photo# 16871 Specimen# R3132 Costus lasius glabrous form from El Valle, Panama

Photo# 16958 Specimen# R3242 Costus lasius at Cerro Gaital, Panama

Photo# 16957 Specimen# R3242 Costus lasius at Cerro Gaital, Panama

Photo# 16960 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16964 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16969 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16966 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16968 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16972 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16967 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16961 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16965 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16970 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16962 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16959 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16963 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

Photo# 16971 Specimen# R3266 Costus lasius from southern Peru, Pantiacolla

BOTANICAL NAME: Costus lasius
SUBGENUS:Costus
GROUP:2-bracts not appendaged
SECTION:II-Ornithophilus
PRIMARY SOURCE USED FOR DESCRIPTION:Maas, Flora Neotropica No. 8, 1972
SECONDARY SOURCES:Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol II, 2003, Missouri Botanical Garden
LAST UPDATED:
NOTES AND DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:Maas says it can be distinguished by its slender stems, its "very small often yellow" inflorescence, and by the fact that it is hairy throughout. He says it probably hybridizes with Costus scaber, with which it is closely related. (NOTE: in Flora Neotropica No. 18, Maas named a new species, C. wilsonii, that he had previously thought to be a hybrid of C. lasius and C. scaber.) Also close to C. sprucei and C. chartaceus SEE TABLE COMPARING THESE 4 SPECIES.

Some of the photos to the left are from specimens I received in horticulture. I examined both a new inflo. and an old inflo. from the same plant and found that the bract color appears to change from yellow to red with age. I have also been told there is a red-bracted form of this plant as well as the more common yellow, but I have not seen it and I am wondering if it might be Costus wilsonii.

I found this species also in the wild on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica and photographed and measured the flower parts. That specimen was nearly identical to the cultivated plant in the US.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION:Moist rain forests, foothill or mountain forests, from sea level to 1900 m, in Panama, Colombia, Peru and Brazil.
HEIGHT:0 to 2 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			densely to sparsely ferrugineous-hirsute			0 to 0 cm	3 to 8 mm
Ligule	short, 2-15 mm		densely to sparsely ferrugineous-hirsute		truncate	3 to 9 mm	0 to 0 mm
Petiole			densely to sparsely ferrugineous-hirsute			3 to 8 mm	0 to 0 mm
Leaf					narrowly elliptic	6 to 23 cm	2 to 6 cm
...upper			glabrous to densely ferrugineous-hirsute
...under			densely ferrugineous-hirsute, rarely glabr
...base					cunate to slightly rounded
...apex					shortly acuminate	0 to 0 mm
Inflorescence	terminal on a leafy stem, erect or nodding.	often yellow			ovoid to fusiform, acute or obtuse	3 to 7 cm	2 to 3 cm
Bract		yellow to pale orange, rarely red	glabrescent, lower bract ferrug-hirsute	thick, coriaceous, or chartaceous	broadly ovate, acute or obtuse	2.0 to 3.0 cm	2.0 to 3.0 cm
Appendage	none					0.0 to 0.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Bracteole			sparsely puberulous		boat shape	0.8 to 1.2 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Flower						0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Calyx	3-7 mm long		glabrous to densely puberulous		obscurely 3-lobed	0.3 to 0.5 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Corolla	35-45 mm long, tube 20 mm	yellow to pale orange	glabrous		lobes obovate	3.5 to 4.5 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Labellum		yellow			tubular	1.7 to 2.5 cm	0.0 to 1.4 cm
Stamen	anther 6mm by 3mm	yellow				1.7 to 2.5 cm	0.0 to 0.8 cm

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