Costus afer Ker Gawler, Costaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: spiral ginger

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Terrestrial.  Leafy stems erect, reaching a length of 10-12 feet.  Leaves very variable in size, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 3-9 inches long, 1-3 inches broad at the middle, acuminate, moderately firm, rounded at the base to a short bread petiole, glabrous or softly pubescent beneath; ligule very short.  Spikes globose, 1-3 inches long, 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter, usually sessile at the end of the leafy stems; bracts suborbicular, glabrous, the outer 3/4-1 inch long and broad.  Calyx shorter than the bract; lobes ovate, obtuse.  Corolla-lobes oblong, acute, about 1 inch long.  Lip 1 1/2 inches long and broad, white or red, with a yellow centre; process that bears the anther 1/4-1/3 inch broad, nearly as along as the lip, incurved at the tip"  (Thiselton-Dyer, 1898; p. VII:299).

Similar to Costus dubius but "usually has a pink-edged labellum (but sometimes pure white), and has 2 flowers per bract"  (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 6).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical Africa (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2011) Reported cultivated in the National Tropical Botanical Garden but not confirmed.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2011) Cultivated in Waimea Arboretum & Botanical Garden

Additional information:
Additional online information about Costus afer is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Costus afer as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Costus afer may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. 2006. New records of naturalized and naturalizing plants around Lyon Arboretum, Mānoa Valley, O‘ahu. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2004-2005. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 87:3-18.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2011. Annotated Checklist of Cultivated Plants of Hawai‘i (online searchable database).

Thiselton-Dyer, W. T. (ed.). 1898. Flora of Tropical Africa: Vol. VII, Hydrocharideae to Liliaceae. L. Reeve & Co., Ltd., The Oast House, Brook, Ashford, Kent.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.