Do you also have a hard time resisting (or can’t resist) pinching a small piece of a plant with brightly colored leaves that grows luxuriantly in summer containers, boxes or just in flower beds?
It usually takes root without any problems even in a glass of water, it grows beautifully in the sun and in partial shade, the more you pinch it, the more compact it is. It is undemanding, even those who do not have much time for care can grow it, and it can be combined with a huge number of flowering and non-flowering plants.
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Trouble with names
However, the problem arises if you are looking for the right name. African nettle is just a popular name, but many growers are satisfied with it. In the literature you will come across the Czech names pochvatec (Coleus) or plectrantus or whiteflies (Plectraunthus), however, these are two different, closely related genera that are often confused. It belongs to the familyLamiaceae), which reveals the typical sage-like flowers. It has nothing to do with nettles, only the leaves remotely resemble their shape.
Taxonomically difficult genus Coleus it has already plagued a long line of botanists because it is constantly being moved, merged and divided – fortunately plants don’t care. Very closely related to genera Solenostemon, Plectranthus, Ocimum and others have already changed their name several times, in fact, gardeners often don’t have time to keep track of where the botanical taxonomists moved it again. Individual species are also moving, some you know as Plectraunthusothers like Coleus and others like Solenostemonhowever most were originally historically described as basil (The last).
Our favorite African nettle is named according to current science Coleus scutellarioidesin Czech, cone-shaped conifer. However, you will find an incredible 103 invalid synonyms for it in the professional literature alone. Add a few dozen folk names in all possible languages and you have the perfect “nettle” stew.
Is he really from Africa?
The whole genus Coleus it has about 300 species that inhabit Africa, South and Southeast Asia and Australia. Individual species are mostly light-loving, they can be seen in sparse forests and bushes, on rocks, meadows and in semi-deserts. They mostly need enough light, and many species have to withstand periods of drought in their homeland.
Some species of the genus Coleus are strongly aromatic plants with wide use in the kitchen and cosmetics. As with all strong-smelling herbs, they are likely to be irritating to some types of allergies. They are used in home treatment for skin, digestive or respiratory problems. Some of the ingredients repel insects and therefore serve as a cheap home insecticide (in Socotra, for example, with the endemic plectrant, it intersperses clothes like lavender here).
How does it grow in nature?
Coleus scutellarioides or the good old “African nettle” does not come from Africa, but from a huge area from Southeast Asia to northern and western Australia, including many islands (Philippines, Greater and Lesser Sundas and New Guinea). In nature, it grows in wetter areas or around watercourses, where it has enough nutrients and light. In its homeland, it normally grows 75 to 100 cm, sometimes even 150 cm. It is a perennial evergreen herb with a straight or ascending stem that can become woody at the base. The stem is more or less square, the stem leaves are slightly fleshy, responsive, petiolate, pointed ovate, serrate, toothed or otherwise segmented at the edges. The tiny flowers have a bell-shaped calyx and a blue-violet double-lipped. The blue, white or purple flowers grow in a sparse terminal raceme and are pollinated by insects. The fruits are .
In culture, it is an extremely popular ornamental plant that is used in flower beds and containers. Even the natural form tends to have colored leaves, but the bred cultivars take on an extreme range of shades from green to white, cream, yellow, pink, red to deep purple in many different color transitions and patterns. This coloring is caused by the uneven production of plant dyes under strong lighting, when the production in the leaves decreases and, on the contrary, the proportion of red and blue increases.
Cultivation
Cultivating both rappers and plectrants is generally very easy. All you need is a sunny place, a regular substrate for houseplants (for strongly succulent species, drained with a mixture of coarse sand) and regular watering in the summer. In winter, most species require a reduction in temperatures and watering only occasionally, in addition, cut them back in autumn to encourage branching. Above all, in winter, they need as bright a place as possible, otherwise the plants will start to decay, pull out and die easily.
The easiest is vegetative propagation of cuttings, which season quickly and easily in heat and humidity. The seeds take a long time to germinate, sown about 5 to 10 mm deep in a mixture of peat and sand and pricked when the seedlings are about 4 cm high.
Relatives of “African nettles”
The second most commonly cultivated species Coleus paniculatusbetter known by the invalid synonym Plectranthus coleoides, it comes from Asia, where it grows from India to the east. It grows to a height and width of 60 to 100 cm, the leaves are opposite, petiolate, the blade is broadly ovate, soft, roundly serrated at the edges. Mainly the white-margined cultivar ‘Marginatus’ is grown, it is mainly used in hanging arrangements and in window boxes. Coleus comosus from East Africa, it grows upright and is mainly cultivated in flower beds. The silvery leaves contrast beautifully with the sky blue flowers.
A silver collector from eastern Australia is known in our country by its popular name rhyming book. The leaves contain aromatic essential oils that are effective against colds, colds and sore throats, but vitamins A and C and other substances are also important. Inhalation is especially helpful. However, watch out for species confusions, there are a lot of other species, but also genera, circulating among growers under the name of rhododendron, some of which may not only help.
About the author
Romana Rybková is the curator of tropical plants in the Botanical Garden of the capital City of Prague.
You could find this article in the magazine Recipe No. 11/25.
