Some species of Plectranthus are difficult to identify because of a lack of clear-cut morphological criteria to discriminate not only among species within the genus but also among the closely related genera. This has resulted in numerous taxonomic problems in the naming of species with the result that species have often been placed in several closely related genera like Coleus, Solenostemon and Englerastrum. In addition, some species formally placed in Plectranthus, are now recognized as the more distantly related genus Isodon.
Because of these taxonomic issues, different names have often been used for the same species of Plectranthus and thus it has been difficult to collate information about the ethnobotanical uses of this genus. Furthermore, the most commonly used medicinal species of Plectranthus have a high degree of synonymy[].
This report is very much indebted to the work of C.W. Lukhoba et al. - Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1–24[] in untangling much of this mess of names, and utilizes the on-line Kew database ‘World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (http://wcsp.science.kew.org/home.do) for determining currently accepted names and synonyms (as of 2018).

Common Name:

General Information

Plectranthus alpinus is an erect, herbaceous, semi-succulent perennial plant with stems from 50 - 150cm long, though up to 250cm if supported by other plants[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental1346].
The plant is widely distributed and is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Tropical Africa - Nigeria and Cameroon to Sudan and Ethiopia, south to Congo, DR Congo, Malawi and Tanzania

Habitat

Wet areas, streams or clearings in forest; at elevations from 1,500 - 2,400 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.75 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is pungently aromatic[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is anti-convulsant[1346. It is also used to treat skin conditions, nervous complaints and pain[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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