Costus woodsonii Maas, Costaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Indian-head ginger, red cane

Hawaiian: ‘awapuhi ‘inikini po‘o

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Leafy shoots 6-12 feet tall, glabrous.  Leaves stiff, often ± deflexed; blades elliptic, ovate, or ± obovate, 3-10 x 1.5-4.25 inches, base cordate.  Inflorescence terminal on leafy stems, globose, ovoid, or cylindrical, 1-4 inches long, often producing axillary shoots, elongating in fruit; bracts broadly ovate, red.  Flower calyx 0.25-0.6 inch long; corolla lobes orange to red-orange; labellum oblong, 0.75-1.2 x 0.5-0.75 inches, yellow, lateral lobes inrolled, tubular, often orangish; stamens yellow, 1.25 inches long.  Fruit ellipsoid, 0.3-0.5 inch long"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 652).

"The leaves are spirally arranged, thick, and dark green, the bracts dark red, and the flowers red-orange" (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 7).

"In Hawai‘i, C. woodsonii has long been confused with C. spicatus (N. Jacquin) Swartz, which has slightly larger leaves that are hairy along the midrib on the upper side, greenish red primary bracts that eventually shred at the margin, and slightly larger flowers with a much larger labellum"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 653).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i (O‘ahu), naturalized in many parts of Lyon Arboretum (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 7).  "Its rhizomes are robust and invasive, and once established they are difficult to remove.  This aggressive species grows in full sun, even in beach areas on sandy soils, but truly does its best where shade, ample moisture, and a deep, fertile soil are available"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 653).

Propagation:  "This species spreads locally by plantlets that develop on old inflorescences. It has also spread to other areas of the [Lyon] Arboretum, some quite remote from the original planting, suggesting reproduction by seeds" (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 7).  Local spread is by rhizome division (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 653).

Native range:  Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1985) (voucher ID: BISH 501450) Taxon name on voucher: Costus woodsonii Maas
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (p. 11) East Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H60204 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1381)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (p. 7) Voucher cited: C. Daehler 1307 (BISH)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 105)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 6) Voucher: Lorence 9721 (PTBG, BNM)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2008) (voucher ID: PTBG 14) Taxon name on voucher: Costus woodsonii Maas

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 29) Cultivated only

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1985. Voucher specimen #BISH501450(Howard, R.A. 20277).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

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.

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2008. Voucher specimen #PTBG14(David H. Lorence 9721).

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2004. New Hawaiian plant records for 2003. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2003. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 79:8-20.

Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie. 2009. Report to the Republic of Palau: 2008 update on Invasive Plant Species. USDA Forest Service, Hilo, Hawai‘i. 227 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

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

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.