Costus phyllocephalus
Family: Costaceae
What it is like
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The plant is somewhat like ginger. It has a rhizome of thickened underground stem and a stem up to 50 cm tall. The leaves are arranged in spirals. They are simple and the sheath forms a closed tube. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 8-17 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. They taper to the tip. The flowering stalk is at the top. It has a head 5 cm across with large bracts. The flowers have both sexes. There is a tube 1.5 cm long. The lobes are fused at the base. The lower lobe is pink and 5 cm long by 5 cm wide. It has a white throat. The fruit is a capsule with a crown at the top. There are many seeds.
There are 90-150 Costus species. There are about 60 in tropical America.
Where it is found
A tropical plant.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Congo DR
How it is used for food
The young leaves and stems are eaten raw as a salad.
It is a popular vegetable.
Edible parts
Leaves, stem, vegetable
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Munkeni, Munkuiza, Tulukako