Costus woodsonii Maas.
Red button ginger, Indian head ginger, red cane, scarlet spiral flag, scarlet spiral ginger
Costus is a genus with over 100 members, plants with spiraling stems that otherwise resemble ginger. This species is native to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Colombia, found in North America as a cultivated plant. In Hawaii, it has become naturalized in some areas.
Plants: Shrubs are 2–3′ (60–91 cm) in height (dwarf form), and up to 12′ (3.7 m) for a larger form.
Leaves: Glossy, cordate, dark green, alternate, arranged spirally around the stem, and elliptical to egg-shaped. They are 3–10 ⨉ 1½–4″ (8–25 ⨉ 4–10 cm) in size.
Flowers: Flowers form at leaf tips, egg-shaped or cylindrical, never opening completely. Shiny, tightly overlapped bright red bracts look a bit like a partially melted red candle. Flowers appear from January to April, and November to December.
Fruits: White ellipsoid capsules, about ⅜″ (1 cm) long, containing black seeds.
Habitats: Humid tropical climates.
Online References:
3/5/2001 · Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii 
ID is uncertain 
6/3/2017 · Hawaii · By Lisa Naumann 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Zingiberidae | Gingers and related plants |
| Order | Zingiberales | Ginger, cardamom, turmeric, galangal, myoga, bananas, arrowroot, and others |
| Family | Costaceae | Plants found throughout the tropics, with 5 fused staminodes (vs. 2) and no aromatic oils |
| Genus | Costus | Ginger-like plants with spiraling stems |
| Species | woodsonii | Probably named for botanist and curator Robert Everard Woodson (1904-1963) |
Costus woodsonii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.