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:''See Catherine of Alexandria for the man named Costus often held to be her father''. ''Costus'' is a group of perennial herbaceous plants in the family (Costaceae) described by Linnaeus as a genus in 1753.〔(Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 2 ) in Latin〕〔(Tropicos, ''Costus'' L. )〕 It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.〔(World Checklist of Selected Plant Families )〕〔(Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 320 闭鞘姜属 bi qiao jiang shu ''Costus'' Linnaeus )〕〔Specht, C. D. & D. W. Stevenson. 2006. A new phylogeny-based generic classification of Costaceae (Zingiberales). Taxon 55(1): 153–163. 〕 ''Costus'' is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as ''Zingiber'' (true ginger) by its spiraling stems. The genus as a whole is thus often called spiral gingers, but this can also refer to ''C. barbatus'' specifically. ''Costus spectabilis'' is the floral emblem of Nigeria; its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms. It is important not to confuse "Costus speciosus, C. spectabilis etc. with the herb known by the common name 'costus'. Some species are of importance to herbivores, such as caterpillars of the Restricted Demon (''Notocrypta curvifascia'') which feed on Costus speciosus (''Crêpe Ginger''). The Crêpe Ginger is also a source of diosgenin, a compound used for the commercial production of various steroids, such as progesterone. In Trinidad and Tobago, a mix of ''Costus scaber'' juice and crushed ''Renealmia alpinia'' berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes.〔Aweke, G., 2007. ''Costus'' afer Ker Gawl. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). Prota 11(1): Medicinal plants/Plantes médicinales 1. (). PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands〕 ;Species〔 ;Formerly placed here〔 Numerous other species have been called ''Costus'' over the years, but are now regarded as members of other genera. Such genera include ''Alpinia, Amomum, Caulokaempferia, Chamaecostus, Dimerocostus, Hellenia, Paracostus, Renealmia, Tapeinochilos,'' etc. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「costus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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