Dege Costus

Dege Costus

　　Costus is a perennial herb, growing 1.5 to 2 meters tall, with a thick main root. The stem is sparsely covered with short soft hairs. The stem leaves have long petioles, with triangular-ovate or long triangular blades, measuring 30 to 100 cm in length and 15 to 30 cm in width. The base is heart-shaped, extending downward into irregularly split wing-like structures. The edges are irregularly undulate or shallowly lobed and have sparse prickles, with short hairs on both surfaces. The basal parts of the stem leaves clasp the stem in a wing-like manner. The inflorescence is terminal and axillary, with a diameter of about 3 cm, often several gathered at the top of the flower stem, and the involucral bracts consist of about 10 layers. The corolla is dark purple and 5-lobed; the stamens are 5 and form a synandrium; the ovary is inferior, and the style extends beyond the corolla. The achene is long-conical, with two layers of pinnate pappus on the upper end. The flowering period is July to August, and the fruiting period is August to October.