Plectranthus
Plectranthus is a genus of about 85 species of flowering plants from the mint/sage family, Lamiaceae, found mostly in southern and tropical Africa and Madagascar. Common names include spur-flower. Plectranthus species are herbaceous perennial plants, rarely annuals or soft-wooded shrubs, sometimes succulent; sometimes with a tuberous base.
Several species are grown as ornamental plants. The cultivar = 'Plepalila' has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Recent phylogenetic analysis found Plectranthus to be paraphyletic with respect to Coleus, Solenostemon, Pycnostachys and Anisochilus. The most recent treatment of the genus resurrected the genus Coleus, and 212 names were changed from combinations in Plectranthus, Pycnostachys and Anisochilus. Equilabium was segregated from Plectranthus, after phylogenetic studies supported its recognition as a phylogenetically distinct genus.
Etymology
The word plectranthus derives from the Greek πλῆκτρον, "anything to strike with, an instrument for striking the lyre, a spear point" + ἄνθος, "blossom, flower".Species
Paton et al. listed 72 species., Plants of [the World Online] accepted 84:- Plectranthus alboviolaceus Gürke – South Africa: E. Cape Prov. to N. KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus ambiguus Codd – South Africa: E. Cape Prov. to N. KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus amplexicaulis Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus antongilicus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus asymmetricus A.J.Paton – Zambia
- Plectranthus atroviolaceus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus aulihanensis ined.
- Plectranthus betamponus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus bracteolatus A.J.Paton – Tanzania
- Plectranthus brevicaulis Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus brevimentus T.J.Edwards – South Africa: Eastern Cape Prov
- Plectranthus canescens Benth. – Madagascar
- Plectranthus capuronii Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus chimanimanensis S.Moore – E. Zimbabwe to W. Mozambique
- Plectranthus ciliatus E.Mey. – South Africa and Eswatini
- Plectranthus clementiae Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus cordatus A.J.Paton & Phillipson – Madagascar
- Plectranthus decaryi Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus delicatissimus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus ecklonii Benth. – South Africa
- Plectranthus elegans Britten – S. Malawi
- Plectranthus elegantulus Briq. – South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus ellipticus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus emirnensis Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus ernstii Codd – South Africa: E. Cape Prov. to S. KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus forsythii Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus fruticosus L’Hér. – S. Mozambique to South Africa
- Plectranthus gardneri Thwaites – Sri Lanka
- Plectranthus gibbosus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus godefroyae ined.
- Plectranthus grallatus Briq. – South Africa, Lesotho
- Plectranthus grandibracteatus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus guruensis A.J.Paton – Mozambique
- Plectranthus hexaphyllus Baker – Madagascar
- Plectranthus hilliardiae Codd – South Africa: Transkei to KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus hirsutus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus hoslundioides Scott-Elliot – Madagascar
- Plectranthus humbertii Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus incrassatus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus laurifolius Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus linearis Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus longiflorus Benth. – Madagascar
- Plectranthus longipetiolatus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus lucidus van Jaarsv. & T.J.Edwards – South Africa: S. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus macilentus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus malvinus van Jaarsv. & T.J.Edwards – South Africa: E. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus mandalensis Baker – Malawi, Mozambique
- Plectranthus marquesii Gürke
- Plectranthus mechowianus ined.
- Plectranthus membranaceus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus miserabilis Briq.
- Plectranthus mocquerysii Briq. – Madagascar
- Plectranthus mzimvubuensis van Jaarsv. – South Africa: SE. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus oblanceolatus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus oertendahlii T.C.E.Fr. – South Africa: S. KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus ombrophilus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus oribiensis Codd – South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus papilionaceus Ranir. & Phillipson – Madagascar
- Plectranthus pichompae Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus poggeanus ined.
- Plectranthus praetermissus Codd – South Africa: SE. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus preussii ined.
- Plectranthus purpuratus Harv. – South Africa
- Plectranthus reflexus van Jaarsv. & T.J.Edwards – South Africa: SE. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus rosulatus Hedge – NW. Madagascar
- Plectranthus rubropunctatus Codd – South Africa: Limpopo to Eswatini
- Plectranthus rubroviolaceus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus saccatus Benth. – South Africa: SE. Cape Prov. to KwaZulu-Natal
- Plectranthus scaposus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus schweinfurthii Sprenger
- Plectranthus secundiflorus Hedge – Tanzania
- Plectranthus strangulatus A.J.Paton – Tanzania
- Plectranthus strigosus Benth. ex E.Mey. – South Africa: S. Cape Prov
- Plectranthus stylesii T.J.Edwards – South Africa: Eastern Cape Prov
- Plectranthus swynnertonii S.Moore – S. Trop. Africa to South Africa, Mpumalanga
- Plectranthus termiticola A.J.Paton
- Plectranthus trilobus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus verticillatus Druce – S. Mozambique to South Africa
- Plectranthus vestitus Benth. – Madagascar
- Plectranthus vinaceus Hedge – Madagascar
- Plectranthus viridis ined.
- Plectranthus zenkeri Gürke
- Plectranthus zuluensis T.Cooke – South Africa: SE. Cape Prov. to Eswatini
Transferred to ''Coleus''
- Plectranthus amboinicus Spreng. → Coleus amboinicus
- Plectranthus argentatus S.T.Blake → Coleus argentatus
- Plectranthus barbatus Andrews → Coleus barbatus
- Plectranthus caninus Roth → Coleus caninus
- Plectranthus cataractarum B.J.Pollard → Coleus cataractarum
- Plectranthus cremnus B.J.Conn → Coleus cremnus
- Plectranthus dissitiflorus J.K.Morton → Coleus dissitiflorus
- Plectranthus edulis Agnew → Coleus maculosus subsp. edulis
- Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br. → Coleus esculentus
- Plectranthus graveolens R.Br. → Coleus graveolens
- Plectranthus hadiensis Schweinf. ex Sprenger → Coleus hadiensis
- Plectranthus neochilus Schltr. → Coleus neochilus
- Plectranthus ornatus Codd → Coleus comosus
- Plectranthus parviflorus Willd. → Coleus australis
- Plectranthus rotundifolius Spreng. → Coleus rotundifolius
- Plectranthus scutellarioides R.Br. → Coleus scutellarioides
- Plectranthus socotranus Radcl.-Sm. → Coleus socotranus
- Plectranthus unguentarius Codd → Coleus unguentarius
- Plectranthus welwitschii Codd → ''Coleus fredericii''
Other species formerly placed in ''Plectranthus''
- Anisochilus carnosus Wall. ex Benth.
- Capitanopsis oreophila Mwany., A.J.Paton & Culham
- Isodon coetsa Kudô
- Isodon inflexus Kudô
- Isodon lophanthoides H.Hara
- Isodon rugosus Codd
- Isodon sculponeatus Kudô
- Tetradenia riparia Hochstetter and Codd