CULTIVAR NAME: 'Phoenix'
PARENTAGE: Costus comosus x productus
STATUS: Name accepted, established.
TYPE: hybrid
REFERENCE: Tim Chapman
PUBLISHED: September 2017 in Heliconia Society Bulletin 23 (3)
REGISTRANT: Tim Chapman
NOTES:
ORIGIN: Tim Chapman hybrid
DESCRIPTION:Tim Chapman hybrid, named because he thought it was lost but it arose from being apparently dead. This is a hybrid of the "costus barbatus" form of Costus comosus with Costus productus that has the overall appearance of the former. The most important difference is a much more profuse flowering habit both basal and terminal. Botanically the differences include 1. reddish apex to the flowers, 2. visible nectar callus on the bracts, 3. longer ligules, and 4. a purplish cast to the basal parts of young stems. It has been proven hardy to USDA zone 8.
