Click on logo above to go to GingersRus HOMEPAGE. Botanical Description page for GingersRus plant database number " 3726 ".

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

Costus guanaiensis

Costus guanaiensis Rusby

Accession # R2876 identified as Costus guanaiensis 'Sweet Charlotte' from Le Jardin Ombragé BOTANICAL NAME: Costus guanaiensis
SUBGENUS:Costus
GROUP:1-bracts with appendage
SECTION:I-Costus
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:In Flora Neotropica No. 8, Maas classifies 4 varieties keyed as follows:
var. guanaiensis (s Colombia, e Peru, w Bolivia and Costa Rica - Sheaths hirsute to strigose and lower side of leaves ferrugineous-villose, upper side strigose to glabrous
var. asplundii, later reclassified by Maas as a separate species, C. asplundii (Ecuador) - Sheaths hirsute to strigose and lower side of leaves strigose, upper side glabrescent
var. macrostrobilus - Sheaths puberulous, villose or glabrous and upper side of leaves strigose, somewhat scabrid to touch
var. tarmicus - Sheaths puberulous, villose or glabrous and upper side of leaves glabrous to puberulous
NOTE: this is also closely associated (by key) with an unnamed C. aff. claviger species that Maas described.
NOTE 2: In Flora Neotropica No. 18, Maas mentions a Costa Rican specimen that matches Costus bracteatus which is syn. of C. guanaiensis var. guanaiensis, except for having strongly plicate leaves.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION:Rain forests, riverbank forests or swamps in Central America, n and w South America, sea level to 1600 meters.
HEIGHT:2 to 6 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			variable			0 to 0 cm	10 to 40 mm
Ligule	short, 5-10 mm		variable		truncate	5 to 10 mm	0 to 0 mm
Petiole			variable			5 to 20 mm	0 to 0 mm
Leaf	lower side of leaves glabrous to villose				narrowly ovate to narrowly obovate	20 to 65 cm	5 to 15 cm
...upper		green	variable
...under		green	variable
...base					cuneate, rounded or rarely cordate
...apex					shortly acuminate	0 to 0 mm
Inflorescence	terminal on a leafy stem or on separate leafless shoot to .5 m tall.				ovoid, obtuse	5 to 15 cm	4 to 6 cm
Bract	all bracts with foliaceous, green appendages, or apices of all bracts reflexed., callus absent or 10 mm	green exposed, red covered part	variable	coriaceous	broadly ovate	2.0 to 4.0 cm	0.0 to 5.0 cm
Appendage	ascending or slightly reflexed, rarely absent	green		foliaceous, rigid	narrowly triangular to deltate	2.0 to 4.0 cm	1.5 to 2.0 cm
Bracteole		red, often greenish tipped	glabrous to densely puberulous		boat shape	2.5 to 4.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Flower						0 to 0 cm	0 to 0 cm
Calyx		red	glabrous to densely puberulous		lobes triangular	1.4 to 1.8 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Corolla	tube 20 mm long	white, reddish white or yellowish white	glabrous to densely puberulous		lobes narrowly obovate	7.0 to 10.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Labellum	large, spreading limb, lateral lobes usually striped with red, middle lobe reflexed, blotched with yellow to orange in center	white or yellowish white			broadly obovate	7.5 to 11.0 cm	0.0 to 0.0 cm
Stamen	anther 10-14 mm long	white to pinkish white			apex obtuse or obscurely 3 lobed	4.0 to 6.0 cm	0.7 to 2.0 cm

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