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Useful Tropical Plants

Costus spectabilis

(Fenzl) K.Schum.

Costaceae

+ Synonyms

Cadalvena dalzielii C.H.Wright

Cadalvena pistiifolia (K.Schum.) Baker

Cadalvena spectabilis Fenzl

Costus pistiifolius K.Schum.

Kaempferia spectabilis (Fenzl) Baker

Common Name:

Costus spectabilis
Flowering plant in native habitat
Photograph by: Robert v. Blittersdorff; African plants - A Photo Guide
© Robert v. Blittersdorff
Costus spectabilis Costus spectabilis

General Information

Costus spectabilis is a herbaceous perennial plant. It flowers several weeks before the leaves appear.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use of its edible leaves. It is often grown as an ornamental in gardens[
736
Title
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=2025
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An online flora, not yet complet (2012). Very comprehensive as regards to species covered, but the information on each species is often rather terse.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

736
Title
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=2025
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An online flora, not yet complet (2012). Very comprehensive as regards to species covered, but the information on each species is often rather terse.

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat

Rocky savannah; black soil in Oxytenanthera thicket with Combretum-Terminalia woodland; in shade on sandy soil in open Combretum-Terminalia or Isoberlinia woodland; elsewhere in seasonal grassland; often around termitaria; among rocks; 150 - 1,850 m[
328
Title
African Flowering Plants Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
Publisher
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Leaves[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. An acid flavour[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Costus+spectabilis>

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