Costus

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Genus of flowering plants

title: "Costus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["costus", "zingiberales-genera"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/costus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

::callout[type=note] See Catherine of Alexandria for the man named Costus often held to be her father. ::

| image = Costus pulverulentus.jpg | image_caption = Costus pulverulentus in Costa Rica | taxon = Costus | authority = L. | synonyms_ref = | synonyms =

Costus is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Costus is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as Zingiber (true ginger) by its spiraling stems. The genus as a whole is thus often called spiral gingers, but this can also refer to C. barbatus specifically. It is important not to confuse Costus scaber, C. spectabilis etc. with the herb known by the common name "costus".

Costus spectabilis is the floral emblem of Nigeria; its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms.

Costus productus and Costus guanaiensis are among the species of Costus with edible flowers. Other Costus species' flowers have also been determined to be edible.

Some Costus species have traditional medicinal and veterinary uses. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, a mix of Costus scaber juice and crushed Renealmia alpinia berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes.

Costus naturally hybridizes, and commercial hybrids have also been produced.

Species

, Plants of the World Online recognises 115 species, as follows:

; Formerly placed here Numerous other species have been called Costus over the years, but are now regarded as members of other genera. Such genera include Alpinia, Amomum, Caulokaempferia, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, Dimerocostus, Hellenia, Paracostus, Renealmia, Tapeinochilos, etc.

Gallery

File:Starr 070306-5217 Costus comosus.jpg|Costus comosus File:Palmengarten fg20.jpg|Costus dubius File:Costus malortieanus H.Wendl. - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras.jpg|Costus malortieanus File:Costus productus Gleason ex Maas - Peru.jpg|Costus productus File:Spiralingwer (Costus dubius).jpg|Costus dubius

References

References

  1. (28 April 2019). "The National Flower of Nigeria: Costus Spectabilis".
  2. "Costus productus".
  3. "Costus productus". National Tropical Botanical Garden.
  4. "Costus guanaiensis".
  5. "Edible Flowers". Subtropical Gardening.
  6. (1995). "Costus flowers - a new delicacy?". Heliconia Society International Bulletin.
  7. (2001). "Medicinal and ethnoveterinary remedies of hunters in Trinidad". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
  8. (2016). "Ornamental Costus". Campinas-Sp.
  9. "Costus L., Sp. Pl.: 2 (1753)". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  10. (2024). "''Costus'' L.". [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]].
  11. (1753). "Species plantarum". Laurentii Salvii.
  12. "''Costus'' L.". Missouri Botanical Garden.
  13. (2008). "''Costus'' L.". Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA..
  14. (2006). "A New Phylogeny-Based Generic Classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales)". Taxon.

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costuszingiberales-genera