General Information

COMMON NAMES: Crepe Ginger, Spiral Ginger, Crêpe Ginger, Crape Ginger, Malay Ginger, Wild Ginger ["crape" is English spelling of French "crêpe"] GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Himalayas - New Guinea COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised (Rarotonga); Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers KEY FEATURES: Tall herb, to 3m. LEAVES spirally arranged; green; shiny above, hairy below; long narrow-oval, tip sharp, ~25x6cm. FLOWERS in a spiky terminal cluster, to 13cm length; many red-purple bracts (=leafy coverings); petal-tube white, centre yellow, wrinkly with a funnel shape, ~10cmØ.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	-	P				-		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Costus speciosus (Koenig)
SYNONYMS: Banksea speciosus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ZINGIBERIDAE; Zingiberales; COSTACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: The common name refers to the texture of the floral tube, which appears minutely wrinkled as if crumpled up and then released.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: S.Carruthers garden Muri (GMc&FS00).

References:
p.1381 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.261 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.302 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.926 Tropica
p.1/191 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM04b, zD02

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