Costus chartaceus

Christmas costus
Cultivated in São Paulo, Brazil
At Hawaii Botanical Garden
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Costaceae
Genus: Costus
Species:
C. chartaceus
Binomial name
Costus chartaceus

Costus chartaceus, commonly known as the Christmas costus, is a perennial plant with a red inflorescence first described by Paul Maas in 1972.[1][2] It is native to Colombia and Ecuador but cultivated as an ornamental in other regions.[3][4] It is not winter hardy.[1]

Costus chartaceus is similar in appearance to Costus prancei and Costus sprucei. Costus chartaceus is known locally as Caña agria in Spanish, Allpala-shangu in Quichua, Tentemokagi in Huaorani, Úntuntup in Achuar and Jivaro, and Virucaspi in an unidentified language.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Skinner, Dave. "Costus chartaceus". GingersRus. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  2. ^ Paulus Johannes Maria Maas. 1972. Flora Neotropica 8: 98, f. 45, Costus chartaceus
  3. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Costus chartaceus
  4. ^ Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez. (eds.) 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador, Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i–viii, 1–1181. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  5. ^ Maas, P.J.M.; Maas-van de Kamer, H.; André, T.; Skinner, D.; Valderrama, E.; Specht, C.D. (2025). "A revision of the Neotropical Costaceae: results from sixty years of taxonomic struggle". bioRxiv 10.1101/2025.01.15.633188.