Cheilocostus speciosus
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Cheilocostus speciosus |
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| ( J.Koenig ) CDSpecht |
Cheilocostus speciosus is a species ofthe Costaceae family . It was traditionallyassigned tothe genus Costus as Costus speciosus , but was classified in the newly described genus Cheilocostus in 2006. It is one of several species of plants called Kostwurz.
description
Cheilocostus speciosus is a perennial herbaceous plant . They form rhizomes as persistence organs. The stems, which are partially woody at the base, reach a height of 1 to 3 meters and branch out at the top. The single-row, one-sided (monistichous) arranged leaves are simply elongated-lanceolate, divided into leaf sheath, petiole and leaf blade. The petiole is 5 to 7 mm long. The leaf blade is 15 to 20 cm long and 6 to 10 cm wide.
The terminal inflorescences are about 5 to 15 cm large and egg-shaped. They contain several bright red, egg-shaped bracts, which are about 2 cm tall, leathery, downy hairy with a sharp, hard tip, several bright red, 1.2 to 1.5 cm bracts and several flowers.
The hermaphrodite, zygomorphic flowers are threefold. The three leathery, red sepals are fused at their base and about 1.8 to 2 cm in size with reddish black sepals . The three petals are fused into an approximately 1 cm long tube with approximately 5 cm long corolla lobes that end in a white or red tip. Five of the stamens have grown together to form the so-called labellum ; it is white, trumpet-shaped, 6.5 to 9 cm tall, and serrated and wavy on the edge, with overlapping hems. The only fertile stamen is 4.5 cm long, 1.3 cm wide and has a broad, corolla-shaped stamen, which is hairy white with orange-yellow and downy hair at its base.
A spherical, red capsule fruit is formed, which is about 1.5 cm in diameter and is somewhat woody. The black seeds are about 3 mm in size.
Occurrence
Cheilocostus speciosus is traditionally used as a medicinal plant in India and is planted as an ornamental plant worldwide . In addition to the original occurrence on the Malay Peninsula , this species occurs wild in various tropical regions. The preferred growth locations are forest clearings and humid depressions.
Systematics
In 2006 the species was placed in a new genus Chamaecostus as one of four species from the genus Costus .
Cheilocostus speciosus (J.Koenig) C. Specht has many synonyms : Costus speciosus ( J.Koenig ) Sm. , Banksea speciosa J.Koenig, Costus lamingtonii FMBailey, Costus formosanus Nakai, Costus speciosus var. Formosanus (Nakai) SSYing.
application
The rhizome of Cheilocostus speciosus and other species of the Costaceae family contains saponins (especially diosgenin - glycosides ) which have an estrogenic , anti-inflammatory and bile-promoting effect. These properties are used in Indian folk medicine to treat various ailments such as cough, skin ailments and digestive problems.
swell
- Delin Wu, Kai Larsen: Costaceae at the Flora of China , Volume 24, p. 321: Costus speciosus - Online.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chelsea D. Specht & Dennis Wm. Stevenson: A new phylogeny-based generic classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales). , in Taxon , Volume 55, Number 1, 2006, pp. 153-163: Online.
- ↑ R. Volmuth: Traumatology and field surgery at the turn of the Middle Ages to the modern age: exemplarily illustrated using the 'great surgery' of Walther Hermann Ryff , Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001. ISBN 3515077421
