- Costus spicatus
-
Spiked Spiralflag Ginger; Indian Head Ginger 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots (unranked): Commelinids Order: Zingiberales Family: Costaceae Genus: Costus Species: C. spicatus Binomial name Costus spicatus
Jacq.Synonyms Alpinia spicata, Costus cylindricus
Costus spicatus, also known as Spiked Spirlaflag Ginger or Indian Head Ginger, is a species of herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family (also sometimes placed in Zingiberaceae).[1]
Contents
Distribution
C. spicatus is native to South America and the Caribbean, (including Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Puerto Rico).[1][2]
Description
C. spicatus leaves grow to a length of approximately 1 foot and a width of approximately 4 inches. It produces a short red cone, from which red-orange flowers emerge one at a time.[3]
Cultivation
C. spicatus will grow in full sun if it is kept moist. It reaches a maximum height of about 6 to 7 feet.[3]
Ecology
C. 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.[3]
Medicinal use
In Dominican folk medicine, herbal tea made from the leaves of C. spicatus is used to treat diabetes (hyperglycemia). However, a 2009 study concluded that this treatment "...had no efficacy in the treatment of obesity-induced hyperglycemia."[4]
References
- ^ a b United States Department of Agriculture. "Costus spicatus information from NPGS/GRIN". USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?426906. Retrieved 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.
- ^ a b c Top Tropicals Botanical Garden (2010). "Costus spicatus, Alpinia spicata, Spiked Spiralflag". http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/COSTUS_SPICATus.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Keller AC, Vandebroek I, Liu Y, Balick MJ, Kronenberg F, Kennelly EJ, Brillantes AM (January 2009). "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. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.10.025. PMC 2643842. PMID 19027842. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19027842.
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