Costus vinosus

This species is believed to be gone from the area along the Rio Guanche where the type specimen was collected.  The last recorded collection was in 1974 and the area has since been deforested and converted to pasture land.  This assessor and others have searched for the species at Rio Guanche in the past several years without success. 

The Rio Taindi location collection was made in 1986 by Greg de Nevers and Heraclio Herrera.  Sr. Herrera was contacted by email and reported that he vaguely remembers the plant and it was not common in the Rio Taindi region.  He is the Director of Environment for the National Indigenous Peoples Coordinating Body of Panama, COONAPIP (Coordinadora Nacional De Los Pueblos Indígenas De Panama) and he knows the San Blas area well. He said he may have seen similar plants but could not say whether they were Costus vinosus.  He said, in his opinion, this species is gradually disappearing. 

The third collection at Santa Rita Ridge was made in 2004 by Dr. Paul Maas who first described the species in 1976 from the Rio Guanche population.  Dr. Maas has informed the assessor that he recalls observing only two to three plants in the Santa Rita subpopulation.

No other collection records have been found.  This is a very distinctive and noticeable species, and is likely to have been collected and recorded by botanists if it exists in any substantial populations.  Accordingly, this assessor is estimating the total population at less than 30 plants.

Costus vinosus is common in cultivation and used as an ornamental plant in gardens.  Based on experience in growing this species in cultivation, the assessor believes it would be particularly sensitive to habitat change. The species is known to be difficult to grow and bring to flower, very sensitive to cultural conditions and not prolific in flower and fruit. Since the last recorded collection was 10 years ago, and the collectors indicated there were few plants, it is possible that it is now extinct in the wild.