Changes

*Perennial, rhizomatous herb up to 4 m tall. *Leaves arranged spirally, simple and entire; sheath tubular, closed, green with purple blotches; ligule 4–8 mm long, leathery, glabrous; petiole 4–12 mm long; blade elliptical to obovate, 15–35 cm × 3.5–9.5 cm, base rounded to subcordate, apex acuminate, margin sparsely hairy, usually glabrous above, sometimes shortly hairy beneath. *Inflorescence a very compact, terminal, conical spike 2.5–7.5 cm long, sessile; bracts oblong, convex, c. 3.5 cm long, densely imbricate, upper ones often smaller, apex truncate to rounded, green with purple markings, each subtending 2 flowers; bracteoles boat-shaped, c. 2.5 cm × c. 1 cm, keel thick and ridged, pale green with pink markings and thin pink papery margin. *Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 3-merous; calyx tube 1.5–2 cm long, teeth c. 5 mm long, triangular, margin pink; corolla tube c. 2 cm long, hairy inside, enclosed by bract, lobes oblong to ovate, 3–4 cm long, hooded at apex, transparent to white, labellum (lip) broadly triangular, funnel-shaped, c. 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm, opposite the stamen, white or tinged pink towards the margin with an orange-yellow central line to the base of the corolla tube; stamen 1, free, petaloid, ovate, c. 3 cm × 1 cm, entire, white, anther c. 7 mm long, attached at the middle to the filament; ovary inferior, 3-celled, style 1, filiform. *Fruit an ellipsoid capsule c. 1 cm long, dehiscing loculicidally, many-seeded. *Seeds black, with aril.

Aweke, G., 2007. '''Costus afer''' Ker Gawl. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.