Spiral flag ginger, Scarlet costus
Costus spiralis

Family: Costaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows 3.5 m tall. It has rhizomes. The stems are slightly woody at the base. They are twisted into spirals. The leaves are narrowly oval and 8-43 cm long by 5-14 cm wide. They taper to a short tip and the base is rounded. They can be smooth or hairy on both surfaces. The flowers are in an oval head 4-11 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The bracts are broadly oval and purple to red. The flowers are tube shaped and 6 cm long. They are pink to red. The fruit is an oval capsule 1.5 cm long. It is pink and has many black seeds.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in rainforest and marshy areas up to 1,200 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, North America, Panama, SE Asia, South America, USA (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

The buds at least of cv 'strawberry bud' are edible.

Edible parts

Buds, fruit, stem

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds, cuttings of from the rhizomes.

Its other names

Local names

Pacing spiral

Synonyms

Alpinia spiralis Jacq.; Amomum spirale (Jacq.) Steud.; Costus spiralis var. pisonis Griseb.; Gissanthe spiralis Salisb.;