Costus arabicus 'Variegata' (spiral ginger)

Spiral ginger ( Costus arabicus ) originates from the Amazon rainforest, where it often grows near streams and rivers. It has an underground rhizome from which new stems emerge at short intervals. These stems can reach up to 3 meters in height and are twisted. At their ends, they produce beautiful, large, white flowers. The spiraling stems look truly unusual in mature plants. This ensures that the individual leaves do not shade each other.

The particularly beautiful, white variegated (variegata) form that we offer here remains somewhat smaller, with a maximum height of about 1.5 meters.

Each stem has a different pattern. Some produce purely white leaves, while others are predominantly green. In principle, however, any plant can produce any pattern.

The "ginger" in the name refers to the fact that this plant is closely related to the Zingiberaceae, the ginger family. However, it belongs to a different family, the Costaceae. The rhizome of C. arabicus is not edible.