Plectranthus | |
---|---|
Flowers of Plectranthus fruticosus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Subfamily: | Nepetoideae |
Tribe: | Ocimeae |
Genus: |
Plectranthus L'Hér. |
Species | |
Many, see text. |
|
Synonyms | |
Ascocarydion G.Taylor |
Many, see text.
Ascocarydion G.Taylor
Burnatastrum Briq.
Capitanya Gürke
Coleus Lour.
Dielsia Kudô
Englerastrum Briq.
Germanea Lam.
Holostylon Robyns & Lebrun
Isodictyophorus Briq.
Leocus A.Chev.
Neomuellera Briq.
Perrierastrum Guillaumin
Symphostemon Hiern
Plectranthus, with some 350 species, is a genus of warm-climate plants occurring largely in the southern hemisphere, in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, India and the Indonesian archipelago down to Australia and some Pacific Islands. They are closely related to Solenostemon and are known as the spurflowers. Several species are grown as ornamental plants, as leaf vegetables, as root vegetables for their edible tubers, or as medicine.
Plectranthus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia).
Many plants called coleus actually belong to this genus, as Coleus is no longer recognized.
Plectranthus venteri