Someone gave me a piece of this years ago and it never bloomed until this year. I had forgotten about it and then noticed this bloom just covered with ants the other day. It seems to be some type of Costus.
Ants?
It's Costus spicatus and it will grow and bloom in full sun to shade. The ants are on it because the blooms are very sweet. They're a good nectar plant for hummingbirds also.
Liz
Thanks Liz, I had been told it needed shade. I may move some of this out where I can see it and watch the hummers.
Those look like carpenter ants.
They sure do and just last week a lot was cleared behind our home. Usuallly they show up around here when their natural habitat is disturbed.
Thanks for noticing; it hadn't even occurred to me. Fortunately they are not a problem around here and seem to stay in the trees/plants.
The ants are attracted to the nectar callouses on the bracts - not the flowers. Look closely at the bracts and you will see a line about 1/2 inch long on the sides. This is common in Costus, only a few species that do not produce a nectar callous on the bracts. They are usually a slightly different color from the color of the bract.
BTW, this is not really Costus spicatus, although it is usually sold under that name. It was incorrectly identified as Costus spicatus many, many years ago. It is actually Costus scaber, a very wide ranging species that grows from southern Mexico to Ecuador and is somewhat variable in form.
The true Costus spicatus is not in the nursery trade at all and in fact I have never seen it in cultivation under that name. The only one I have seen, not yet positively identified as Costus spicatus, is one from the Smithsonian Institution's research greenhouse, collected in Dominica and inventoried under an obsolete synonym for Costus spicatus = Costus cylindricus. I have it growing now in my green house and once it flowers I will try to get a positive ID.
Dave Skinner
www.gingersrus.com
Dave, I checked out your site....very interesting, but I have a problem that wasn't covered by all your gorgeous photos. I inherited a lot of ginger plants and I don't know how to care for them, and they are all turning brown. I don't know if this means they are getting too much water or not enough. I THINK they are alpinas, but I'm not sure.....can you help?
Shari
Sorry Shari, but without knowing which species they are, I can't give you much help. Some gingers are deciduous (Curcumas, Kaempferias, Globbas, some Zingibers, and a few others) and some are evergreen (Alpinias, most Hedychiums, most Costus and others). The deciduous ones will naturally yellow and go dormant regardless of temperature. The evergreen types will stay green year round if grown in warm enough temperature and with proper watering. If there is frost where you are, even the evergreen types will freeze back but will return when the weather warms up in spring.
Dave Skinner
www.gingersrsus.com
That flower coming out of the bract is edible...and they are gorgeous in salads....taste good too. Some taste like raspberry, one like grannysmith apples... I am told this is true of all Costus.
Carol, they sound like a calorie free dessert which is what I need this week; too bad they are not blooming right now.