Costus is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, erected by Linnaeus in 1753.

[1][4][5] Costus is often characterized and distinguished from relatives such as Zingiber (true ginger) by its spiraling stems.

Costus spectabilis is the floral emblem of Nigeria; its flowers are represented (erroneously in red instead of yellow color) on its coat of arms.

For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, a mix of Costus scaber juice and crushed Renealmia alpinia berries is used to treat dogs bitten by snakes.

Such genera include Alpinia, Amomum, Caulokaempferia, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, Dimerocostus, Hellenia, Paracostus, Renealmia, Tapeinochilos, etc.