Costaceae FAMILY

Costus lucanusianus

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Spiral ginger is a perennial, rhizomatous herb growing up to 3 metres tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is often gathered from the wild for its use as a medicinal herb, but so far its native populations are not considered to be under threat[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is often planted in home gardens for medicinal purposes, and has been introduced as an ornamental, mainly in the United States and South America[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is commonly used for ceremonial and religious purposes[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical western Africa - Guinea east to western Ethiopia and south to DR Congo.

HabitatThe shaded floor of the rainforest or lowland secondary forest[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. Seasonally or permanently humid localities in forests, at elevations up to 1200 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].