Coleus, Coleus scutellarioides

Origin

Coleus, sometimes called painted nettle, are often prized by houseplant owners for their vibrantly colored foliage. Colors include eye-catching combinations in shades of green, pink, red, yellow, maroon and more. These colors persist during all seasons, so this plant is a great option to help brighten up your home. Depending on the variety, the shape and size of the leaves can also vary, so there's one to suit everyone.

These plants are native to a number of areas along the equator, mostly in Asia, such as in the mountains of Indonesia. The genus was first scientifically described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro 1790.

This species has had a number of different scientific names over the years, the most well known being Plectranthus scutellarioides, Solenostemon scutellarioides and Coleus blumei

It belongs to the large Lamiaceae family where you find many other well known plants like mint, sage, oregano and many more. Coleus also has many closely related cultivated plants, like the Swedish ivy ( Plectranthus verticillatus ), the silver spurflower ( Coleus argentatus ) and Cuban oregano ( Coleus amboinicus ).

Coleus plants became popular as a houseplant and garden bed plant during the Victorian era, when displaying exotic-looking plants was a way to show how cultured and wealthy you are!

Care

Coleus plants like to be kept consistently moist, although you should be careful to ensure that the soil doesn't ever get overly wet and saturated without drying some in between. Too much water can lead to stem and root rot, which is why it's important to plant your Coleus in a well-draining soil mix in a pot that has drainage holes to act as an outlet for excess water to escape from.

In order to keep it happy, try not to ever let your Coleus dry out!

Note that Coleus do require overwintering if you live in a colder climate, as they are tender perennials and will quickly start to suffer if they get too cold. Luckily though, they can be propagated easily from cuttings, so it's simple to establish extra plants indoors over the winter months.

Other

They can grow up to 30 inches (75 cm) tall and wide, creating a bush-like appearance. In order to encourage this bushiness, you may need to prune your Coleus every now and then.

Many varieties of coleus are very variable in appearance, depending on the growing conditions. Letting your plant gradually get used to more light causes its colors to become richer, so if you ever feel that your Coleus is starting to look a bit faded, try moving it to a sunnier spot in your home. A too sudden big change can burn the leaves, so it's good to do it gradually over the course of a couple of weeks.