taxonID	type	description	language	source
030D577AEB8E48DF1A8932DBC7960E95.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Costus loangensis (Fig. 1) is a short-stemmed (about 0.5 m tall) plant with few (6 - 7) leaves and with completely yellow flowers. Stems and leaves are covered with a dense indument of erect to half-appressed hairs. Costus loangensis differs from Costus spectabilis (Fenzl) K. Schum., another short-stemmed yellow-flowered species, by having a well developed aerial stem. Costus spectabilis inhabits savannas and has only 4 leaves that remain strongly pressed to the ground. Costus loangensis differs from Costus ligularis Baker, also a short-stemmed and indumented plant, by the colour of its flowers (Costus ligularis has a pale pink flower) and the length of the calyx (5 - 7 mm in Costus ligularis v. 11 - 12 mm in Costus loangensis) (Table 1).	en	Kamer, Hiltje Maas-van de, Maas, Paul J. M., Specht, Chelsea D. (2012): Costus loangensis, an exciting new species from Gabon, Africa. PhytoKeys 18: 11-18, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713
030D577AEB8E48DF1A8932DBC7960E95.taxon	description	Description. Terrestrial herb, 0.5 - 0.6 m tall, stems dark brownish red. Leaves: dark olive-green, several (6 - 7) concentrated at the apex of the stem; sheaths dark red, 0.6 - 0.8 cm diam.; ligule green, 2 - lobed, 15 - 18 mm long, membranous; petiole 5 - 6 mm long; sheaths sparsely to rather densely covered with erect to half-appressed hairs ca. 2 mm long, ligule and petiole densely to rather densely so; lamina narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 14 - 16 by 5 - 6 cm, densely to rather densely covered with erect to half-appressed hairs 1.5 - 2 mm long on both sides, zone along midrib sometimes reddish, base attenuate, apex acute. Inflorescence: 3 - 5 - flowered, ovoid, 2 by 1 - 1.5 cm, terminating the leafy stem; outer side of bracts, bracteoles and calyx densely covered with appressed to half-appressed hairs ca. 0.2 mm long, ovary sparsely so. Flower: 1 per bract; bracts brown to reddish brown, chartaceous, narrowly ovate-triangular to ovate-triangular, 1.7 - 2 by 0.5 - 1 cm, callus 2.5 - 3 mm long; appendages absent; bracteole reddish, boat-shaped, 15 - 18 mm long, callus 1.5 - 2 mm long; calyx reddish to greenish, 11 - 12 mm long, lobes deltate, ca. 2 mm long, callus ca. 1 mm long; corolla yellow, 50 - 55 mm long, tube 20 - 25 mm long, lobes narrowly elliptic, 30 - 35 mm long, outer side rather densely covered with half-appressed hairs ca. 1 mm long particularly near the apex, together forming a hood over the throat opposite the labellum, apex with a callus-like thickening; labellum yellow, horizontally flattened with funnel-shaped base, broadly obovate when spread out, 30 - 40 by 40 - 50 mm, margin fimbriate (fimbriae 2 - 3 mm long); stamen yellow, 25 - 30 by 7 - 10 mm, apex reflexed, anther 5 - 7 mm long; ovary narrowly obovoid, ca. 6 mm long, stigma bilamellate, dorsal appendage 2 - lobed. Fruit and seeds not seen.	en	Kamer, Hiltje Maas-van de, Maas, Paul J. M., Specht, Chelsea D. (2012): Costus loangensis, an exciting new species from Gabon, Africa. PhytoKeys 18: 11-18, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713
030D577AEB8E48DF1A8932DBC7960E95.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Gabon (Fig. 2). Only known from the type location.	en	Kamer, Hiltje Maas-van de, Maas, Paul J. M., Specht, Chelsea D. (2012): Costus loangensis, an exciting new species from Gabon, Africa. PhytoKeys 18: 11-18, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713
030D577AEB8E48DF1A8932DBC7960E95.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Costus loangensis is named after the place where it was photographed and now has been collected and documented for the first time: near the Loango Lodge, in " Parc Nacional de Loango " in Gabon.	en	Kamer, Hiltje Maas-van de, Maas, Paul J. M., Specht, Chelsea D. (2012): Costus loangensis, an exciting new species from Gabon, Africa. PhytoKeys 18: 11-18, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.18.3713
