Scientific Name:
Coleus scutellarioides
(incl. hybrids cvs.)
Pronunciation:
KO-lee-us skoo-tul-air-ee-oh-EYE-deez
Common Name:
coleus
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Stems 4-sided; leaves opposite, most cultivar are ovate, 5-15cm long x 2-6cm wide, (scarcely) pubescent, apex acute-accuminate, base rounded-cordate, margin crenate, and have yellowish to green to dark red variegation.
Habit:
Dense, Spreading, Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa, Garden origin
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting, Group or mass planting, Hanging basket, Indoor plant, Medicinal plant, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include C. 'New Orleans', C. 'Pineapple', and C. 'Wild Lime'. Note: synonyms Plectranthus scutellarioides and Solenostemon scutellarioides are also widely used even though it was determined in 2019 that the species belongs in the genus Coleus.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Succulent
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green, Green-yellow, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Red, Dark-red
Colour in Fall:
Green-yellow, Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute
Bases:
Cordate, Rounded
Margins:
Crenate
Inflorescence Type:
Verticillaster, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Blue
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Not showy, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red
Organ Modifications:
Fibrous-like roots
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Stem tip cuttings
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Mites, Scale insects, Slugs or snails, Whitefly or psyllids (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Specific Pests:
Deer
Course(s):
- HORT 1193/1293
- HORT 2355
- Level 3 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BED) BEDding, container, or basket
- (GNH) GreeNHouse