The World Flora Online

Stems 1--3 m, base slightly woody, apex branched and spirally twisted when old. Petiole 5--7 mm; leaf blade oblong or lanceolate, 15--20 × 6--10 cm, abaxially densely sericeous, base subrounded, apex acuminate or caudate-acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, ellipsoid or ovoid, 5--15 cm; bracts bright red, ovate, ca. 2 cm, leathery, pubescent, apex sharply pointed; bracteoles pale red, 1.2--1.5 cm. Calyx red, 1.8--2 cm, leathery, apex 3-lobed; lobes reddish black, rigid, and densely sericeous at apex. Corolla tube ca. 1 cm; lobes oblong-elliptic, ca. 5 cm, apex white or red. Labellum white, trumpet-shaped, 6.5--9 cm, apex toothed and crisped, with edges overlapping. Stamen petaloid, white with orange-yellow base, urceolate, ca. 4.5 × 1.3 cm, pubescent. Capsule red, globose, ca. 1.5 cm, slightly woody. Seeds black, glossy, ca. 3 mm. Fl. Jul--Sep, fr. Sep--Nov. 2 n = 18, 27*, 36.

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Costus speciosus (J. König) Sm. ... VER ... Hellenia speciosa

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Plantas 0.5–3 m. Hojas con lámina 12–25 × 3–6cm, el haz glabra, el envés densamente seríceo; vaina puberulenta a glabra; lígula 0.1–0.2 cm, truncada.Infl. 4–7 × 3–5 cm, ovoide a ampliamente ovoide;brácteas rojas oscuras, sin apéndice, con el ápice es-pinescente. Fls. con cáliz 2.2–2.5 cm; corola blanca,densamente serícea; labelo 6–7 × 8–10 cm, exten-dido, blanco a blanco rosáceo.

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Stem 1–3 m, branching with age in upper part, often spirally curved, lower half of stem covered by blade-less sheaths, upper half leafy, sheath ca 4 cm, green flushed with purple, silky hairy, at margin with longer hairs. Leaf blade oblanceolate-acuminate, up to 23 by 6 cm, widest above the middle, base rounded, upper side glabrous to appressed hairy, lower side from almost glabrous to densely sericeous; petiole 5–7 mm, appressed hairy. Inflorescence to about 10 cm long, 5-6 cm broad on a short, usually curved peduncle. Bracts 12–15 mm long, each subtending 1 flower, ovate, acute, green often flushed with red, with a narrow red fleshy protuberance up to 5 mm long, below apex glabrous to hairy. Bracteoles ca 10 mm, acute with ciliate margin. Flower: calyx green turning red, much longer than bract, up to 2.2 cm including the ovary, with 3 reddish, unequal teeth. Corolla tube shorter than calyx, lobes 3–5 cm, white or pinkish. Labellum 5.5–7.5 cm across, white with a median yellowish band with long yellow hairs. Stamen ca 2.5 cm long; filament when flattened 10–12 mm broad, yellow at apex, pubescent. Ovary flattened, ca 9 mm broad. Capsule red.

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Plants 0.5-3 m tall. Sheaths green, tinged with reddish brown, rather densely minutely puberulous to glabrous, 7-12 mm in diam. Ligule truncate, 1-2 mm long, densely minutely puberulous to glabrous. Petiole 2-5 mm long, rather densely to densely puberulo-sericeous. Leaves narrowly elliptic, 12-25 × 3-6 cm, cuneate to rounded at the base, shortly acuminate at the apex, with a subulate point 2-7 mm long, upper side glabrous, lower side densely puberulous to sericeous, very soft to the touch. Inflorescence ovoid to broadly ovoid, 4-7 cm long, 3-5 cm wide. Bracts red to brownish red (5 R 4/12 to 2.5 R 4/10), coriaceous, narrowly ovate-triangular, acute, 25-35 mm long, 10-25 mm wide, rather densely puberulous to glabrous, apex ending in a 2-10 mm long, often pungent point, Bracteole purplish- to brownish-red, 18-20 mm long, sparsely minutely puberulous. Calyx reddish brown to green, 22-25 mm long, sparsely minutely puberulous, exceeding the bracts, bicarinate on the adaxial side, lobes triangular, 5-7(-12) mm long. Corolla white to pinkish white, ca 60 mm long, densely to rather densely minutely sericeous, tube ca 15 mm long, lobes elliptic to obovate, 45-50 mm long, ca 20 mm wide. Labellum white to pinkish white, broadly obovate when spread out, 60-70 mm long, 80-100 mm wide, margins crenate, middle lobe blotched with yellow in the centre. Stamen white to yellowish white, narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, 45-50 mm long, 7-15 mm wide, apex obtuse, anther 11 mm long. Ovary 5-10 mm long, sparsely to rather densely sericeous. Capsule not seen. Chromosome number 2n = 18, 27, or 36 (see Cytology).

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Occurring in a variety of biotopes from peat swamp forests in the south at sea level to hill evergreen forest in the north, e.g. on Doi Inthanon; altitude: up to 1,400 m. Also common in the lowland deciduous forests in the central and north. It is found on limestone as well as on granitic rocks, in sunny places as well as in shade, preferable on humid ground.

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From India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and S China to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to N Australia and New Guinea. (type König: “Ind. Orient.”, probably Phuket, Thailand (C)).

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(Fig 48, 12). Indo-Malaysia, from India and the Central Himalayas in the West to New Guinea in the East; cultivated in South America and naturalized in the Antilles; in moist open places, in secondary vegetation.

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