Channa
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
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| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Costus+speciosus |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1
Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Costus+speciosus |
Indianthus is a genus of plants. It contains only one species, Indianthus virgatus (Roxb.) Suksathan & Borchs, native to India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Indianthus
- ^ Suksathan & Borchs., Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 159: 393 (2009).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indianthus&oldid=627200534 |
Flowering class: Monocot Habit: Herb
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
Cheilocostus speciosus or (syn. Costus speciosus) or crêpe ginger is possibly the best known cultivated species of the genus Costus. This plant is native to southeast Asia and surrounding regions, from India to China to Queensland, It is especially common on the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is also reportedly naturalized in Mauritius, Réunion, Fiji, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, Melanesia, Micronesia, and the West Indies.[2][3]
Description[edit]
Cheilocostus speciosus differs from the common ginger by having only one row of spirally arranged leaves. The species reproduces vegetatively by rhizome, and birds disperse the seeds when they feed on the fruits.
This plant is cultivated in India for its medicinal uses, and is cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental. In some areas Cheilocostus speciosus is introduced and has become an invasive species.
Habitat[edit]
The habitat where this species is found is roadside ditches and low lying areas in the forest. The flowering season starts after the rainy season, from October to December.
Human relevance[edit]
The plant has many historical uses in Ayurveda, where the rhizome has been used to treat fever, rash, asthma, bronchitis, and intestinal worms. It is mentioned in the Kama Sutra as an ingredient in a cosmetic to be used on the eyelashes to increase sexual attractiveness.
Cheilocostus speciosus has a large number of common names in many languages, including isebsab' (Palauan); keu, kemuk or keumul (Bengali); keukand (Hindi); thebu (Sinhala); pakarmula (Gujarati); pushkarmula (Marathi and Sanskrit); jom lakhuti (Assamese); kostam (Tamil); "Kosta" in Kannada; and "Kostamu" in Telugu.
Gallery[edit]
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Flower at Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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Flower & leaves at Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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Costus speciosus in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe.
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Costus speciosus in Hawaii.
References[edit]
- ^ "Cheilocostus speciosus (J.König) C.Specht". The Plant List. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Hellenia speciosa
- ^ Pacific Island Invasive Species
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheilocostus_speciosus&oldid=653291969 |
United States
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Costus+speciosus |
Medicinal.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200028360 |