Dimerocostus is a small genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Costaceae, within the order Zingiberales. The genus was formally described in 1891 and comprises three accepted species, all native to Central and South America.
Members of Dimerocostus are herbaceous plants that share the characteristic spiral leaf arrangement and showy inflorescences typical of the Costaceae family. The genus is distinguished from the closely related genera Costus, Monocostus, and Chamaecostus by a key morphological feature: its ovary is divided into two chambers (bilocular) rather than three.
The three recognised species span a range from Honduras and Costa Rica in Central America south through Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Dimerocostus strobilaceus has the widest distribution across this range, while D. argenteus is restricted to Peru and Bolivia and D. cryptocalyx is known from Colombia.
Distribution
Dimerocostus is native to Central and South America. D. strobilaceus ranges from Honduras and Nicaragua through Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela (including the Venezuelan Antilles), Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. D. argenteus is found in Peru and Bolivia, while D. cryptocalyx is known from Colombia.
Taxonomy Notes
Dimerocostus belongs to the family Costaceae within the order Zingiberales, a major order of tropical monocots that also includes bananas and gingers. Within Costaceae, the genus is set apart from its closest relatives (Costus, Monocostus, Chamaecostus) by its bilocular (two-chambered) ovary. The genus was described in 1891 and currently contains three accepted species.
