Chamaecostus cuspidatus information

Chamaecostus cuspidatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Costaceae
Genus:	Chamaecostus
Species:	C. cuspidatus
Binomial name
	Chamaecostus cuspidatus; (Nees & Mart.) C.Specht & D.W.Stev.
Synonyms
	Costus cuspidatus (Nees & Mart.) Maas; Costus igneus N.E.Br. ; Globba cuspidata Nees & Mart.;

Chamaecostus cuspidatus, common name fiery costus or spiral flag, is a species of herbaceous plant in the family Costaceae native to eastern Brazil (States of Bahia and Espirito Santo).^[1]^[2]^[3] In India, it is known as insulin plant for its purported anti-diabetic properties.^[4] Chamaecostus cuspidatus has large fleshy-looking leaves. The undersides of these large, smooth, dark green leaves have light purple shade. The leaves are spirally arranged around the stem, forming attractive, arching clumps arising from underground rootstocks. The maximum height of these plants is about two feet. The flowers are orange in color and are 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter. Flowering occurs during the warm months and they appear to be cone-like heads at the tips of branches.^[5]

^ ^a ^b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
^ Specht, C. D. & D. W. Stevenson (2006). "A new phylogeny-based generic classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales)" (PDF). Taxon. 55 (1): 153–163. doi:10.2307/25065537. JSTOR 25065537. S2CID 15845981.
^ Tropicos, specimens of Chamaecostus cuspidatus (Nees & Mart.) C.D. Specht & D.W. Stev.
^ Shetty, Akhila (October 2010). "Effect of the insulin plant (Costus igneus) leaves on dexamethasone-induced hyperglycemia". International Journal of Ayurveda Research. 1 (2): 100–2. doi:10.4103/0974-7788.64396. PMC 2924971. PMID 20814523.
^ Forzza, R. C. (2010). "Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil". Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06.

[y-1] Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

[u-2] Specht, C. D. & D. W. Stevenson (2006). "A new phylogeny-based generic classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales)" (PDF). Taxon. 55 (1): 153–163. doi:10.2307/25065537. JSTOR 25065537. S2CID 15845981.

[3] Tropicos, specimens of Chamaecostus cuspidatus (Nees & Mart.) C.D. Specht & D.W. Stev.

[:0-4] Shetty, Akhila (October 2010). "Effect of the insulin plant (Costus igneus) leaves on dexamethasone-induced hyperglycemia". International Journal of Ayurveda Research. 1 (2): 100–2. doi:10.4103/0974-7788.64396. PMC 2924971. PMID 20814523.

[5] Forzza, R. C. (2010). "Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil". Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06.