Costus ricus

Description

Costus ricus is a species of flowering plant inthe Costaceae family. It is only found in Costa Rica. Costus ricus is a herbaceous plant and reaches a height of up to 2 meters. The leaves are densely hairy on the upper side and silky-hairy to glabrous on the underside. On their edge and along the midrib, the leaves are just as densely hairy as on the leaf sheath and the leaf stalk. The ligules are unequal and bilobed. The cone-like, round to ovoid inflorescences are 4 to 7 centimeters long and have a diameter of 4 to 5 centimeters, during maturity they are up to 12 centimeters long. The bracts are red to orange, occasionally bent back at the outer end. The crown is densely hairy, the tubular labellum is orange to red. Costus ricus is endemic to Costa Rica in the Osa Peninsula and surrounding regions. The species was first described in 1997 by Paulus Johannes Maria Maas and his wife Hillegonda Maas-van de Kamer.