| Costaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tapeinochilos ananassae of the family Costaceae | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Costaceae Nakai[1] |
| Genera[2] | |
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Costaceae, known as theCostus family orspiral gingers, is afamily ofpantropicalmonocots. It belongs to theorderZingiberales, which containshorticulturally andeconomically importantplants such as thebanana (Musaceae),bird-of-paradise (Strelitziaceae), and edibleginger (Zingiberaceae). The sevengenera in Costaceae together contain about 143 knownspecies[3] (1 inMonocostus, 2 inDimerocostus, 16 inTapeinochilos, 2 inParacostus,c. 8 inChamaecostus, c. 5 inHellenia, and c. 80 inCostus).[4] They arenative totropical climates ofAsia,Africa,Central America, andSouth America. Several species are frequently found incultivation.[citation needed]
Thesimpleleaves areentire and spirallyarranged, with those toward the base of thestem usually bladeless. Leaf bases have a closedsheath with aligule, or projection at the top of the sheath.
Costaceae is different from the other families of Zingiberales in that its species have 5fusedstaminodes, rather than 2 or 3, and the Costaceae contain noaromaticoils. The fused infertilestamens form a large petaloidlabellum that often functions to attractpollinators. Theflowers are solitary inMonocostus. In the other genera, the flowers are borne in a terminalspike that ranges from elongate to nearlycapitate. Each flower issubtended by a largebract. Thefruit is aberry orcapsule. Therhizome is fleshy withtuberous roots.
| Cladogram:Phylogeny of Zingiberales[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Phylogenetic tree of the family.[citation needed]
_-_Bukidnon%2c_Philippines_01.jpg)
 Families ofZingiberales | |
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| Banana-families |
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| Zingiberineae (Ginger-families) |
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