Costus guanaiensis
Rusby
Costaceae
Costus longifolius Rusby
Costus macrostrobilus K.Schum.
Costus sinningiiflorus Rusby
Costus tarapotensis J.F.Macbr.
Costus tarmicus Loes.
Common Name:
General Information
Costus guanaiensis is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing usually unbranched stems 2 - 6 metres tall from a creeping, tuberous rhizome[
656- Title
- Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 52
- Author
- Acevedo-Rodríguez P. & Strong M.T. (Editors)
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution; Washington.
- Year
- 2005
- ISBN
- 0097-1618
- Description
- A treatment of the monocots and gymnosperms growing in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its edible flowers and stem juice.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
656- Title
- Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 52
- Author
- Acevedo-Rodríguez P. & Strong M.T. (Editors)
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution; Washington.
- Year
- 2005
- ISBN
- 0097-1618
- Description
- A treatment of the monocots and gymnosperms growing in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
Range
S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana; C. America - Panama to Mexico; Caribbean - Trinidad, Puerto Rico.
Habitat
Moist to wet thickets at elevations from 90 - 860 metres in Puerto Rico[
656- Title
- Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 52
- Author
- Acevedo-Rodríguez P. & Strong M.T. (Editors)
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution; Washington.
- Year
- 2005
- ISBN
- 0097-1618
- Description
- A treatment of the monocots and gymnosperms growing in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 4.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
A very tasty, acidulous juice is obtained from the stems[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. It can be drunk fresh, or be sweetened with sugar to make a refreshing drink[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Flowers - raw[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. A similar flavour to the juice obtained from the stems[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
