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Costus malortieanus

H.Wendl. (1863)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Zingiberales Family: Costaceae Genus: Costus

spiral ginger, stepladder plant

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form:

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves:

Flowers:

Fruit:

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Only found in cultivation
O'ahu Only found in cultivation
Maui Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds

Vegetative Reproduction

Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Hamburger Garten- Blumenzeitung 19: 30 (1863)

Other References

Staples & Herbst 2005:651 (KEY), 652 (DESCR); Oppenheimer 2016:24 (NEWNAT/EM)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Costus malortieanus Honolulu; Foster Gardens Preserved_Specimen Leaves above barred faintly with light-green, otherwise dark and downy, beneath smooth and uniformly light-green; flowers maroon and yellow, 2 2/3 x 1 in., in stemless head. Miyashiro, Y. Oahu BISH 1961-10-10
2 Costus malortieanus Honolulu. Foster Gardens Preserved_Specimen Leaves above barred faintly with light-green, otherwise dark and downy, beneath smooth and uniformly light-green; flowers maroon and yellow, 2 2/3 x 1 in., in stemless head. Miyashiro, Y. Oahu BISH 1961-10-10
3 Costus malortieanus Lawai-Kai; Koloa District, Lawai Valley, Allerton Estate Cultivated. Preserved_Specimen Herb with stems to 6 ft.; leaves clustered at stem ends, dull velvety medium green with paler whitish veins, below silvery-green with dark veins; inflorescence terminal, bracts glossy pale green with darker central stripe; flowers: outer 3 tepals yellow, glassine; corolla reddish-brown with yellow striping and yellow lip; stamen whitish with pink tinge and reddish-yellow and brown apex. Flynn, T.W. 5582 Kauai BISH 1994-08-02
4 Costus malortieanus East Maui, Hana District, lower Nahiku, Honolulunui. Northing: 2305154; Easting: 802172. Preserved_Specimen Herbs to 1.5 meters, apparently escaping from cultivation, flowers white with yellow arising from terminal, green cone-like structure. Oppenheimer, H.L. 91211 Maui BISH 2012-09-19
5 Costus malortieanus Koloa Dist. NTBG in Lawai Valley. Waterfall area at valley head Preserved_Specimen Rhizomatous herb, stems 60-70 cm. tall, lvs. light green with darker green mottling along veins above, pale beneath. Infl. bracts green, outer tepals yellow-white, labellum w maroon stripes medially, stamen white w maroon tip. Lorence, D.H. 7710 Kauai BISH 1995-10-09
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