[1] Costus spicatus is native to some islands of the Caribbean (including Dominica, Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Martinique, and Puerto Rico).

Costus spicatus is possibly invasive in lower montane rainforests on Saint Lucia, where botanist Roger Graveson considers it to be an escaped exotic.

The ants are provided with a food source (nectar in C. spicatus flowers) as well as a place to construct a nest.

According to the Lacandon Maya, Costus spicatus increases soil fertility, is edible, and is a medicine.

[15] In Dominican folk medicine, an herbal tea made from the leaves of C. spicatus is used for diabetes (hyperglycemia).