The Zingiberales are flowering plants forming one of four orders in the commelinids clade of monocots, together with its sister order, Commelinales. The order includes 68 genera and 2,600 species. Zingiberales are a unique though morphologically diverse order that has been widely recognised as such over a long period of time. They are usually large herbaceous plants with rhizomatous root systems and lacking an aerial stem except when flowering. Flowers are usually large and showy, and the stamens are often modified (staminodes) to also form colourful petal-like structures that attract pollinators.
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-paradise (Strelitziaceae), and edible ginger (Zingiberaceae). The seven genera in Costaceae together contain about 143 known species. They are native to tropical climates of Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America. Several species are frequently found in cultivation.
Costus is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, erected by Linnaeus in 1753. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Paulus Johannes Maria "Paul" Maas is a botanist from the Netherlands and a specialist in the flora of the neotropics. Maas has identified and named about two hundred fifty plants from the Burmanniaceae, the Costus Family (Costaceae), the Gentian Family (Gentianaceae), the Bloodwort Family (Haemodoraceae), the Banana Family (Musaceae), the Olacaceae, the Triuridaceae, and the Ginger Family (Zingiberaceae).
Renealmia is a plant genus in the family Zingiberaceae. Its members are native to tropical Africa and tropical America. In Peru, fruits and tubers are sources of indigenous dyes. and indigenous medical treatments for leishmania and malaria In Colombia, it is used to treat snakebite. Bracts and leaves can serve as phytotelmata, retaining small quantities of water that offer habitat for other organisms.
Hillegonda (Hiltje) Maas-van de Kamer is a botanist at the Institute of Systematic Botany at Utrecht University. She is the wife of Professor Paul Maas and together they have published many papers. She is a specialist in the flora of the neotropics.
Costus osae is a species of flowering plant in the family Costaceae. One of many rare tropical plants in the Costus family, Costus osae is a species native to Costa Rica described in 1997 . It has also been reported from Colombia.
Costus spicatus, also known as spiked spiralflag ginger or Indian head ginger, is a species of herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family.
Aframomum is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is widespread across tropical Africa as well as on some islands of the Indian Ocean. It is represented by approximately 50 species. Its species are perennials and produce colorful flowers. Several aromatic species with essential oils present in fruits, seeds, leaves, stems, rhizomes, and other plant parts are either edible or used as medicine in Africa.
Scadoxus cinnabarinus is a herbaceous plant from tropical rainforest in Africa. It is native to Western and Central Africa from Sierra Leone in the far west to Angola in the south. It has been reported from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Niger, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé, Zaire, Uganda, and Angola.
Dimerocostus is a group of flowering plants in the Costaceae described as a genus in 1891. It is native to Central and South America.
Paracostus is a group of plants in the family Costaceae described as a genus in 2006. It is native to Borneo and to tropical Africa.
Monocostus is a group of plants in the Costaceae described as a genus in 1904. There is only one known species, Monocostus uniflorus, endemic to Peru.
Tapeinochilos is a group of plants in the Costaceae described as a genus in 1869. It is native to Queensland, Papuasia, and the Indonesian Province of Maluku. Centered in Papua New Guinea, only three of the approximately 16 species occur outside of the country.
''Ficus cyathistipula'', the African fig tree, is a species of fig that is native to the tropical forest regions of Africa. They may be small trees, shrubs or hemi-epiphytic lianas, and are widespread in the moist tropics, where they may be found in Afromontane or rainforest, often overhanging pools. The figs are reddish when ripe, and have thick, spongy walls that enable them to float on water. They are named for their cup-shaped (cyathus-) and persistent stipules (stipula).
Costus spectabilis, commonly known as the yellow trumpet, is an African, gregarious species of herb; low and perennial, it is found from Sierra Leone to Sudan to as far south as Angola and Zimbabwe.
Costus curvibracteatus is a tropical rhizomatous perennial native to Costa Rica and Panama. A member of the spiral ginger family of plants, its common name is orange tulip ginger. It is also sometimes referred to as spiral ginger; however, this common name is better associated with Costus barbatus, a more widely cultivated and very similar species. Despite the name and its relation to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), the rhizomes of the orange tulip ginger are not edible.
Costus woodsonii, the red button ginger or scarlet spiral flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Costaceae, native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. A rhizomatous geophytic perennial, it is recommended for coastal gardens, borders, containers, and general wet, tropical garden applications.
Costus pulverulentus, the red cigar or spiral ginger, is a species of flowering plant in the family Costaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, and it has been introduced to Cuba. A rhizomatous perennial reaching 4 to 6 ft, it is typically found in wet tropical areas. It is used as an ornamental, and there are cultivars, including 'Serena', 'Pink Lips', and 'Purple Passion'.
Costus dubius is a species of plant native to Tropical Africa.
