Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Costus asplundii - first photo of flowers, 1 by gingersrus

gingersrus wrote:
No, those are the appendages to the bracts that form the rossette. The calyx is quite small on most Costus species. Photo at
http://www.gingersrus.com/images/ImageFrame.php?ImageID=1264...

One of the major ways that Costus species are differentiated is whether or not they produce "leafy" appendages to the bracts. Costus comosus and Costus productus also produce red bracts with red appendages, but quite different in shape and quite different in texture. The flowers are also different - tubular vs. open and spreading. That is another major characterisic to distinguish Costus species. The tubular flowers are pollinated mostly by hummingbirds wheras the open type is pollinated by bees.

The photo below shows the red bracts with red appendages more clearly.

Dave Skinner
http://www.gingersrus.com