Family: Costaceae

High Risk Traits:

• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Other Costus species have naturalized and may be invasive
  
• Shade-tolerant
  
• Reproduces by seeds and vegetatively by rhizomes
  
• Self-compatible (but floral morphology prevents self-pollination)
  
• Bird-dispersed
  
• Lack of ecological information minimizes accuracy of risk prediction

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization or invasiveness outside native range
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
  
• Non-toxic
  
• Ornamental value
  
• Hummingbird-pollinated in native range (may limit seed set where hummingbirds are absent)
  
• Limited or lacking seed production may minimize longer distance dispersal