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Crêpe ginger (Hellenia speciosa)

Dlium Crêpe ginger (Hellenia speciosa)

Crêpe ginger (Hellenia speciosa) is a plant species in Costaceae that grows upright for height of 0.5 meters to 3 meters, has a large flower, likes damp and shade in primary forests, secondary forests and teak forests on lowlands up to 1050 meters above sea level.

H. speciosa has a brownish yellow stem, the size of an adult's finger, contains a lot of water and is easily broken. The plants go upward in harmony with the tops, the leaves are green, single, short stalks and the strands extend to the lanceolate shape and are arranged in a spiral circle around the stem.







Tapered leaf tips, flat edges and blunt leaf base. The surface of the lower leaves is soft, while the upper surface is grooved. Large-sized inflorescence located at the end of the stem. Flowers are white or yellow. Egg-shaped protective leaves with pointed ends. The crown is tubular, pointed tip and green.

The pistil pops up on the starch and is white. The fruit is ovoid and red. Hard seeds, small and black. Rhizomes and seeds contain diosgenin (sapogenin steroid), tigogenin, diosin, grasillin, sitosterol and methyltryacontan. Also contains saponins, flavonoids and tannins.

Traditional Javanese treatment uses to treat swelling in the kidneys (Nephtiric edema), stomach ulcers, urinary tract infections (urinary tractus) and liver shrinkage (chirosis). All parts are used as external medicine for wounds from being bitten by snakes and insects.

Leaves are used as a medicine for eye mucous inflammation. Young leaves to nourish hair. The stem is used as a medicine for fever and dysentery. Pith stems to cool the eyes in people with smallpox.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Costaceae
Genus: Hellenia Retz. in Observ. Bot. 6: 18 (1791)
Species: Hellenia speciosa (J.Koenig) S.R.Dutta in Pleione 7: 228 (2013)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Banksea speciosa J.Koenig in A.J.Retzius, Observ. Bot. 3: 75 (1783)
Cheilocostus speciosus (J.Koenig) C.D.Specht in Taxon 55: 159 (2006)
Costus speciosus (J.Koenig) Sm. in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 1: 249 (1791)
Hellenia grandiflora Retz. (1791)
Planera speciosa (J.Koenig) Giseke in Prael. Ord. Nat. Pl.: 244 (1792)
Pyxa speciosa (J.Koenig) M.R.Almeida in Fl. Maharashtra 5A: 113 (2009)
Tsiana speciosa (J.Koenig) J.F.Gmel. in Syst. Nat., ed. 13[bis].: 9 (1791)
Kaempferia speciosa (J.Koenig) Thunb. in Fl. Jav.: 8 (1825)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cheilocostus potierae (F.Muell.) M.G.Harr. & Zich in Telopea 14: 9 (2012)
Costus angustifolius Ker Gawl. in Bot. Reg. 8: t. 665 (1822)
Costus argyrophyllus Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 6555 G, H (1832)
Costus crispiflorus Stokes in Bot. Mat. Med. 1: 75 (1812)
Costus foeniculaceus Noronha in Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 5(4): 12 (1790)
Costus formosanus Nakai in J. Jap. Bot. 17: 199 (1941)
Costus glaber (K.Schum.) Merr. in Enum. Philipp. Fl. Pl. 1: 246 (1924)
Costus glabratus Rchb. in J.C.Mössler, Handb. Gewächsk., ed. 2. 1: 8 (1829)
Costus hirsutus Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 61 (1827)
Costus lamingtonii F.M.Bailey in Queensland Agric. J. 3: 160 (1898)
Costus loureiroi Horan. in Prodr. Monogr. Scitam.: 38 (1862)
Costus nipalensis Roscoe in Monandr. Pl. Scitam.: t. 80 (1826)
Costus potierae F.Muell. in Fragm. 4: 164 (1864)
Costus sericeus Blume (1827)
Costus speciosus var. angustifolius Ker Gawl. (1822)
Costus speciosus var. argyrophyllus Wall. ex Baker in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 6: 249 (1892)
Costus speciosus var. dilnavaziae M.R.Almeida & S.M.Almeida in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 96: 355 (1999)
Costus speciosus var. formosanus (Nakai) S.S.Ying in Quart. J. Chin. Forest. 21: 117 (1988)
Costus speciosus var. glaber K.Schum. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 27: 343 (1899)
Costus speciosus var. hirsutus (Blume) K.Schum. (1899)
Costus speciosus var. leocalyx Nakai (1941)
Costus speciosus var. nipalensis (Roscoe) Baker in Fl. Brit. India 6: 250 (1892)
Costus speciosus var. sericeus (Blume) K.Schum. (1899)
Costus spicatus var. pubescens Griseb. in Fl. Brit. W. I.: 602 (1864)
Costus vaginalis Salisb. in Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1: 277 (1812)
Hellenia speciosa var. dilnavaziae (M.R.Almeida & S.M.Almeida) S.R.Dutta (2013)
Pyxa speciosa var. dilnavaziae (M.R.Almeida & S.M.Almeida) M.R.Almeida (2009)
Amomum arboreum Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 7 (1790)
Amomum hirsutum Lam. in Tabl. Encycl. 1: 134 (1791)
Cardamomum arboreum (Lour.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 685 (1891)

PUBLICATIONS

Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6. Scientific Data 8: 215.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118

VERNACULAR NAME

Angami: Thevobuto
Assamese: Jom Lakhut
Bengali: কেউ - কেউমুক Keu, Keumuk
Chinese (simplified): 闭鞘姜
Chinese (traditional): 絹毛鳶尾 - 閉鞘薑
English: Crêpe ginger, Crepe ginger, Cane-reed, Malay ginger,Spiral flag, Spiral ginger, Wild ginger
Filipino: Tubong-usa, Tiuasi
German: Prächtige Kostwurz
Gujarati: Pevato
Hindi: कुष्ट - केउ - कुष्ठ Kust, Keu, Kushtha
Hong Kong: 閉鞘薑
Indonesian: Pacing tawar
Japanese: オオホザキアヤメ - フクジンソウ
Java: Pacing tawar, Tabar-tabar
Kannada: Chengala koshtha, Naayi kabbu, Nari Kabbu, Naayi Kabbu, Pushkaramula, Pushkara, Changalakosta, Changalakostha, Neeraja, Padmapatra
Khmer: Trâthôk
Konkani: Kosh
Lao: 'üangz
Macao: 閉鞘薑
Malayalam: Aanakoova, Aanappoo, Channa, Channakoova, Malavayambu, Narumchanna, Nuchanna, Anakkuva, Cannakkuva
Malaysia: Setawar, Tawar, Setengteng
Manipuri: Okchak Khombi, Khongban takhelei
Marathi: Pev, Piway, Kosht
Mizo: Sumbul
Nepali: बेटलाउरी Betalauri
Oria: Gaigendalia, Gaigobra, Kena, Keuana, Cheki kanda, Keo, Keu kand, Keogab kachya, Koukuka, Kokola
Oriya: Kushtha
Palauan: Isebab
Russian: Гелления красивая
Sanskrit: Pushkaara, Kemuka, Kustha
Slovak: Helénia nádherná
Spanish: Caña agria
Sumatera: Setawar
Sunda: pacing
Taiwan: 閉鞘薑
Tamil: கோஷ்டம் - கோட்டம் - வெண்கோஷ்டம் Kostam, Kottam, Ven-kostam
Tangkhul: Talaiwon, Makeiri
Telugu: Bomma kachika, Chengalva koshtu, Bogachika, Kasmiramu, Kimuka, Koshtamu
Thai: เอื้องหมายนา

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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