new costus additions at SBG

I've noticed a couple of new costus planted at the Ginger Gardens. Some had tags on them, while others didn't. I can't say I recognise any of the names, and I suspect that's because they are probably new hybrids. One in particular was huge as it had really large leaves and thick stems. Even the emerging shoots were thick. I wonder how large/tall they'll end up and how the flower would look like. It could be some form of C. guanaiensis. There was also a spiralling specimen with red hairy stems. Again, I have no idea what it is, but it looks suspiciously like something I have. Then there is the C. Alleni red form which has flowered. Although it grows fairly easily, it is quite slow to flower

Alpinia pleuranthodium (pink pearls)

This is one of the lesser known or seen alpinias. I chanced upon this growing at the botanic gardens several months ago. It's not a frequent bloomer, but like many alpinias, it has a gingery fragrance. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about this plant.

alpinia formosana (pinstripe ginger)

Whilst potting around the garden, I noticed that my Alpinia fomorsana was blooming for the very first time. I've grown mine from a rhizome (which I imported from Aloha) in a pot for the last two years. The plant is about 1.2 to 1.5 metres tall and appears to do very well in our climate. The flowers are porcelain white with pink tips and have a strong gingery fragrance. However, unlike it's showy cousins the alpinia zerumbet, this species is grown more for its outstanding foliage consisting of glossy green leaves with fine white pinstriping. It grows well in pots, but probably produces larger inflorescences if grown in the ground. This species is often mistaken for the Alpinia vittata which is quite common in our nursery trade.

golden banana

This was given to me as a pup over two years ago. I grew it in a pot and neglected it somewhat, occasionally feeding it with bonemeal. I'm surprised how it has survived, given that many other musas which are supposedly easy to grow have died in my care including Musa velutina, Musa uranoscopus, Musa Thai Red and the Musa white variegated. The only musas I have left today are Musa ornata, Musa, laterita and Musa Sumatrana (Blood Banana).

The Musa siamenisis or Thai Gold Banana a newly discovered species from Southern Thailand. It is considered rare in cultivation. It is closely related to the more common Musa laterita and grows to similar heights. This species grows to about 6 to 8 feet tall and is best grown in medium to full sun, though mine has appeared to flower under a canopy of tall trees. It enjoys rich soil and regular applications of organic fertiliser. I tend to feed it with a handful of Australian bonemeal. The rhizomes form quickly, and when planted in a pot, tends to fill up almost the whole pot. Like the Musa laterita, it has runners and will pup some distance from the mother plant. For this reason, this species is best grown in a container or a confined space.

musa laterita

zingiber eborinum

Another plant to add to the list of the "weird but the wonderful", although this is considerably less controversial than the aristolochia or the rafflesiana.

Little is known about the Zingiber eborinum. It is a compact plant (less than 3ft tall) found in the island of Borneo. It produces creamy white inflorescences with yellow flowers. However, the cones turn to a "bandung" pink with age and last for a considerable time. Like most other gingers, this grows better in shade.

heliconia dinosaur

Eric gave me this hybrid, Heliconia pogonantha x mariae 'Dinosaur' about a month ago. It is also commonly referred to as the Heliconia Dinosaur. It is, as its name suggests, one of the largest heliconias around which can grow several metres tall and produces large and impressive pendulous blooms. Eric decided to discard his collection because he thought they were ugly and a bitch to maintain and cut down due to its highly fibrous trunk.

I on the other hand, am easily excited by anything wild and exotic, so taking in his castaways seemed like the right thing to do. So far, one of the rhizomes has started to shoot. Hopefully the other would follow suit.

field trip to the SBG's Ginger Gardens

the costus

There are a couple of things in life that I am rather bullish about. One of them is my take on what the property outlook is going to be like over the course of the year; downward spiral. The other, is the fact that I’m probably one of Singapore's most enthusiastic costus collectors.

The Costaceae is a family of pantropical monocots belonging to the order Zingiberales. (other members include Musaceae, Zingiberaceae and Heliconiaceae. The Costaceae comprise approximately 120 species in five (to 8) genera that are primarily native to the tropical regions of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Some of these include the Costus, Dimerocostus, Monocostus, Tapeinochilos, Cheilocostus.

Botanically, Costaceae are separated from Zingiberaceae in three ways. First, the Costaceae have leaves that are held in a spiral upon the stem, whereas in Zingiberaceae, the leaves are always held distichously, i.e. in 2 vertical rows on opposing sides of the stem. Second, in Costaceae, the staminodes (Modified stamens) are fused into the labellum, whereas in Zingiberaceae only the inner staminodes are fused into the labellum, with the outer pair remaining visible, often as petal-like structures. Finally, the Costaceae lack the aromatic essential oils that are present in all of the Zingiberaceae. The flowers of the Costaceae are generally solitary or aggregated in inflorescences and they can be arranged either as basal blooms or in a terminal head. The rhizomes are generally fleshy with tuberous roots.

Although members of the Costaceae family are generally now regarded as separate from the Zingiberaceae, the Costaceae are, nevertheless, still very much thought of as gingers. The Costus is, with at least 70 species, the largest and most significant genus of the family.

However, the costus is generally not very popular in Singapore and this is evident from the lack of visibility in public areas. So far, only a few species such as the C. woodsonii (French Kiss), C. osae (Red Rose) and C. productus/curvibracteatus have either made their way into the horticultural trade or are employed in streetscapes. Other species such as the C. stenophyllus are slowing gaining popularity amongst gardeners and landscape architects.

So far, the largest collection of costuses can be found in the Singapore Botanic Garden’s Ginger Gardens. You do not generally see them in public parks or private gardens other than the usual ones. I suppose not a lot of people are into costuses. Many regard them as bland and well, green. and boring, and plants which are only used to "fill" voids with lush greenery. Perhaps the photo montage below might help change their minds produce very beautiful and interesting blooms of various shapes, sizes and colours.

I like costuses primarily because they are easy to grow, a breeze to cultivate and relatively fuss-free and pest resistant. Also, the lush foliage makes them an ideal "filler" plant which would look great in any garden. I also think that their spiralling form can make them interesting table-potted plants.

So far, I have managed to amass a collection consisting of about 30 or more costus species. Not all have flowered but it is a matter of time before they do. I do hope to collect more but one has to be patient, given that there are only a handful of costus growers around the world. Dave Skinner has quite a varied collection, but his inability to obtain phytosanitary certificates is an impediment to the import process into Singapore.