Biology:Costus spicatus
| Spiked spiralflag ginger Indian head ginger | |
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| Costus spicatus in Singapore | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Costaceae |
| Genus: | Costus |
| Species: | C. spicatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Costus spicatus Jacq.
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| Synonyms | |
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Costus spicatus, also known as spiked spiralflag ginger or Indian head ginger, is a species of herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family (also sometimes placed in Zingiberaceae).[1]
Distribution
Costus spicatus is native to the Caribbean (including Dominica, Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Martinique, and Puerto Rico).[1][2][3]
Description
Costus spicatus leaves grow to a length of approximately 1 ft (30 cm) and a width of approximately 4 in (10 cm). It produces a short red cone, from which red-orange flowers emerge one at a time.[4] In botanical literature, Costus woodsonii has often been misidentified as Costus spicatus.[5]
Cultivation
Costus spicatus will grow in full sun if it is kept moist. It reaches a maximum height of about 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m).[4]
Ecology
Costus spicatus can develop a symbiotic partnership with certain species of ants (often only a single species of ant will be compatible). The ants are provided with a food source (nectar in C. spicatus flowers) as well as a place to construct a nest. In turn, the ants protect developing seeds from herbivorous insects.[4]
Medicinal use
In Dominican folk medicine, an herbal tea made from the leaves of C. spicatus is used for diabetes (hyperglycemia). However, a 2009 study concluded that C. spicatus tea "...had no efficacy in the treatment of obesity-induced hyperglycemia."[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Costus spicatus | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 2010-12-25 }}
- ↑ United States Department of Agriculture. "PLANTS Profile for Costus spicatus (spiked spiralflag)". USDA Plants. United States Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=COSP4. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Costus spicatus
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Top Tropicals Botanical Garden (2010). "Costus spicatus, Alpinia spicata, Spiked Spiralflag". http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/COSTUS_SPICATus.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ↑ George W. Staples and Derral R. Herbst. 2005.
- ↑ "Costus spicatus tea failed to improve diabetic progression in C57BLKS/J db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 121 (2): 248–54. January 2009. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.10.025. PMID 19027842.
Wikidata ☰ Q2727860 entry
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