''Costus'' is a group of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Costaceae Costaceae, known as the ''Costus'' family or spiral gingers, is a family of pantropical monocots. It belongs to the order Zingiberales, which contains horticulturally and economically important plants such as the banana (Musaceae), bird-of-p ...

, described by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

as a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in 1753. It was formerly known as ''Hellenia'' after the Finnish botanist Carl Niclas von Hellens. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Costus'' is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as ''

Zingiber The genus ''Zingiber'' is native to Southeast Asia especially in Thailand, China, the Indian Subcontinent, and New Guinea. It contains the true gingers, plants grown the world over for their culinary value. The most well known are '' Z. officina ...

'' (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. '' Costus spectabilis'' is the

floral emblem In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

; its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms. It is important not to confuse ''Costus speciosus'', ''C. spectabilis'' etc. with the herb known by the common name " costus". Some species are of importance to

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

s, such as

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of the restricted demon (''Notocrypta curvifascia'') which feed on '' Costus speciosus'' (crêpe ginger). The crêpe ginger is also a source of diosgenin, a compound used for the commercial production of various

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

s, such as

progesterone Progesterone (P4) is an endogenous steroid and progestogen sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis of humans and other species. It belongs to a group of steroid hormones called the progestogens and is the m ...

. In

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, a mix of ''

Costus scaber ''Costus'' is a group of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, described by Linnaeus as a genus in 1753. It was formerly known as ''Hellenia'' after the Finnish botanist Carl Niclas von Hellens. It is widespread through tropica ...

'' juice and crushed ''

Renealmia alpinia ''Renealmia alpinia'' is a flowering plant species native to the Americas, where it grows from southern Mexico through much of South America, though not in the Southern Cone. It can also be found on several Caribbean islands. In Quechua it is ...

'' berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes.Aweke, G., 2007. ''Costus'' afer Ker Gawl. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). Prota 11(1): Medicinal plants/Plantes médicinales 1. D-Rom PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands

Species

; 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 ''Alpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is named for Prospero Alpini, a 17th-century Italian botanist who specialized in exotic plants. Species are native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, whe ...

'', ''

Amomum ''Amomum'' is a genus of plants native to China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland. It includes several species of cardamom, especially black cardamom. Plants of this genus are remarkable for their pungency and a ...

'', '' Caulokaempferia'', '' Cheilocostus'', '' Chamaecostus'', '' Dimerocostus'', '' Hellenia'', '' Paracostus'', ''

Renealmia ''Renealmia'' is a plant genus in the family Zingiberaceae. Its members are native to tropical Africa and tropical America (Latin America and the West Indies). In Peru, fruits and tubers are sources of indigenous dyes. and indigenous medical tre ...

'', '' Tapeinochilos'', etc.

Gallery

File:Costus guanaiensis Rusby - Latin America, West Indies.jpg, ''Costus guanaiensis'' File:Costus malortieanus H.Wendl. - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras.jpg, ''Costus malortieanus'' File:Costus productus Gleason ex Maas - Peru.jpg, ''Costus productus'' File:Costus spiralis (Jacq.) Roscoe - trop South America.jpg, ''Costus spiralis'' File:Costus stenophyllus Standl. + L.O.Williams - Costa Rica.jpg, ''Costus stenophyllus'' File:Hellenia speciosa - Congo Rep, Cameroon, Gabon.jpg, ''Costus tapenbeckianus''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q133082 Zingiberales genera