Flower · GBIF taxon 2756950
Red Button Ginger
Costus woodsoniiAlso known as Scarlet Spiral Flag, French Kiss Ginger, Dwarf Cone Ginger, Panamanian Candle
Red button ginger forms dense, striking clumps of spiraling cane-like stems lined with smooth, dark green obovate leaves. Terminal inflorescences feature tightly packed, glossy scarlet bracts that resemble miniature pinecones, from which tubular red-orange blossoms emerge sequentially over many months. Native to wet Central and northern South American lowlands, these nectar-rich cones are adapted specifically for hummingbirds, whose long beaks effortlessly pierce the tube to feed.
TropicalFloweringHummingbird-Pollinated
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic)
Predators
- Spider Mites
- Grasshoppers
- Slugs
ThreatsDeforestation, urbanization, and agricultural land conversion
HabitatsWet tropical forests, coastal woodlands, stream banks, and tropical gardens
Life spanPerennial (rhizomes persist indefinitely)
Classification
- OrderZingiberales
- FamilyCostaceae
- GenusCostus
- SpeciesCostus woodsonii
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Pollinator Watching: Stake out the bright red cones in early morning to watch visiting hummingbirds probe for nectar.
- Cultivation: Grow in warm, frost-free settings with moist, organically rich soil and bright filtered sunlight.
Pollinator (c) ARALCAL by julian londono, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Frequent Companion Octave Fargier / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Same Family Dinesh Valke from Thane, India / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.