Plectranthus oertendahlii (Plectranthus oertendahlii)
Description
Plectranthus oertendahlii is a species of flowering plant in the sage and mint family Lamiaceae. Common names include silverleaf spurflower, Swedish ivy, Oertendahl’s spurflower, November lights, and Brazilian coleus though it is native to eastern South Africa rather than Brazil. Growing to 20 cm (7.9 in) tall, it is a tender forest-dwelling perennial, with somewhat succulent heart-shaped leaves whose surface is strikingly marked with silver, while the undersides are a deep reddish purple. The undersides contain the chemical anthocyanin, which helps to trap what little light is available beneath the forest canopy. The pink-tinged white or pale blue flowers, held in erect sprays above the foliage, are double-lipped and resemble those of its relatives in the genus Salvia (sage). It increases both by setting seed and by putting down roots as it spreads along the ground. P. oertendahlii is named for Ivan Anders Oertendahl of Sweden’s Uppsala University. Nobody knows how the plant reached Sweden, but it has been cultivated in Scandinavia for over a century, and remains popular there. This plant and its cultivars are widely grown as ornamentals, often under its former name Coleus which no longer exists. In temperate climates it is grown as a houseplant, as it does not tolerate temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F). However, plants may be placed outside in a warm shaded area during the summer months. Plectranthus oertendahlii and the cultivar ‘Uvongo’ have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Lamiales
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Family: Lamiaceae
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Genus: Plectranthus
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