African spiral flag (Costus lucanusianus)

African spiral flag or Costus afer (Costus lucanusianus) is a species of plant in the Costaceae, herbaceous or shrub, up to 2 meters high, cylindrical stem, upright with a spiral movement, green with reddish midrib stripes, grows on forest floors, river banks, roadsides and abandoned lands.

C. lucanusianus has oval-shaped leaves, up to 30 cm long, up to 10 cm wide, pointed tip and base, a vein in the middle, dark green upper surface and pale green lower surface. Petioles are very short.

The inflorescence is in a tuber at the end of the stem, cone-shaped and about 10 cm long. The flowers are funnel-shaped, the outside is white, the inside is red with a yellow spot.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Costaceae
Genus: Costus
Species: Costus lucanusianus

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