Re: another mystery

I wonder if you could give a bit more information on
the actual size of the plant, habit and flowers. 
There are many different species and cultivars of
Plectranthus being grown here in California, although
not all of them come from Africa, nor are all of them
strictly semi-shade plants.  As an example,
Plectranthus argentatus is an Australian species. 
Several South African species do have fleshy leaves
with a distinctive scent, and P. amboinicus variegata 
is a decumbent grower with dense felty leaves and can
be variegated, commonly known as Cuban Oregano.  This
is most likely the plant you have at hand. 

Another species that I quite like to use in gardens
because it will take sun, shade, water, drought and
bloom nearly year round with very showy flowers is
Plectranthus neochilus.  This species does also have
cultivars with pink, yellow and white in the foliage,
and smells distinctively like skunk to me, when the
foliage is brushed against or watered.  I grow the
straight green foliaged form, and appreciate it
greatly for being so quick to bloom, cover wide areas
with little water, and because it does equally well in
full hot sun or dry shade.  The flowers are helmet
shaped and deep purplish blue, and bloom in mass for
at least 10 months of the year.  Great for a filler
ground cover until shrubs and other slower growing
perennials fill in.  The only down side to many
Plectranthus species, is there almost complete lack of
frost tolerance beyond a degree or two, or beyond
short durations.  

Other favorite long blooming Plectranthus species to
look for would include P. zuluensis, more minty
foliaged and larger growing(to 6 feet tall by across),
with lovely deep green foliage and lavender flowers
year round.  The hybrid P. 'Mona Lavender' is similar
in habit, except it has deeper olive green foliage
with purple reverse, and deep lavender flowers in late
fall.  These last two do prefer some shade and summer
water to look their best.

Other Plectranthus species that I really enjoy using
for fall into winter color would include all the
different color forms of Plectranthus ecklonii, but
these also can get quite large, and need regular water
and tip pinching to control size.  In more coastal
influenced situations with cooler summers, this
species can bloom over a 6 month period and seems to
prefer full sun for best blooming, and the mass
flowering is as showy as any Azalea or Rhododendron
when in bloom.

One of the largest growing Plectranthus, originally
from East Africa and Sri Lanka, but a quite successful
weed in the Western Cape of South Africa, is P.
comosus.  This species can get to be 8 to 10 feet tall
by across, and has 18 inch long flower spikes of deep
blue flowers starting in late fall.  The foliage is
also quite large and fuzzy, and is a dramatic winter
bloomer for frost free gardens.

Certainly there are many more Plectranthus species
commonly grown here, both as interior house plants and
for outdoors fall into winter bloom in mild coastal
California gardens. I like using various Plectranthus
because they are so easy to grow, mostly deer proof,
and extend floral color from fall into winter when
fewer things are in bloom.


--- Pamela Steele <pamela.steele@re-taste.com> wrote:

> I have just been given a plant without any tags or
> names.  I have looked in
> the RHS Encylopedia of Plants and found it looks
> like a 'plecanthus'.  I
> think, I have seen it before but this one is
> variegated ( yellow and green
> with a touch of pink on the edges of the leaves
> which are quite 'woolly'
> soft/hard. The all encompassing feature is the very
> strong and not entirely
> pleasant smell (to me!) when you touch the leaves.  
> Heidi Gildermeister
> mentions it (no photos ) but I cannot find anything
> on the internet sites
> If it is Plecanthus ...I presume it does suit a dry
> garden.  Any other
> information would be appreciated?
> 
> Pamela
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index