Spiral ginger
Costus lucanusianus
Family: Costaceae
What it is like
A herb. It has underground rhizomes or underground stems. It is a plant that keeps growing from year to year. It grows 3 m tall. The leaves are simple and arranged in spirals. The leaf blade is 21-24 cm long by 5-6 cm wide. It is rounded at the base and tapers to the tip. The flowers contain both sexes. There is a red funnel shaped tip. The fruit is a narrow capsule about 1 cm long. It has many small black seeds.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in humid locations in forests up to 1,200 m altitude. It can grows in part shade.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, West Africa
How it is used for food
The young leaves and shoots are cooked and eaten. The stem is eaten raw as a sweet. The flowers are eaten raw. The flowers are used in cooking as a flavouring.
Edible parts
Leaves, shoots, stems, flowers, vegetable
How it is grown
It can be grown from seeds. It can also be grown from stem cuttings. Sections of the stem or rhizome 2.5 cm long can be planted.
Its other names
Local names
Aniakoinia, Bokako, Howa, Okako, Makakokako, Zaza boto
Synonyms
Costus dussii K. Schum.; Costus lucanusianus var. major K. Schum.;