If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Plectranthus fruticosus

L'Hér.

Lamiaceae


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[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
].
This report is very much indebted to the work of C.W. Lukhoba et al. - Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1–24[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
] 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).

+ Synonyms

Germanea urticifolia Lam.

Plectranthus arthropodus Briq.

Plectranthus behrii Compton

Plectranthus charianthus Briq.

Plectranthus galpinii Schltr.

Plectranthus peglerae T.Cooke

Plectranthus urticifolius (Lam.) Salisb.

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Plectranthus fruticosus is a freely-branched shrub with ascending or rarely decumbent stems; it can grow 60 - 200cm tall[
663
Title
Flora of Southern Africa
Publication
 
Author
Roux J.P.
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=662545
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line resource.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. A popular garden plant, it is often grown as an ornamental[
1347
Title
Plectranthus: A plant for the future?
Publication
South African Journal of Botany 77 (2011) 947-959
Author
Rice L.J.; Brits G.J.; Potgieter C.J.; Van Staden J.
Publisher
 
Year
2011
ISBN
 
Description
A review of the Plectranthus species with potential as economic plants
].

Known Hazards

The plant is known to have embryo- and fetotoxic activities on rodents[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
].

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
663
Title
Flora of Southern Africa
Publication
 
Author
Roux J.P.
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=662545
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line resource.

Range

Southern Africa - southern Mozambique, S. Africa

Habitat

Forest, scrub forest and shady places among rocks[
663
Title
Flora of Southern Africa
Publication
 
Author
Roux J.P.
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=662545
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line resource.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitShrub
Height1.50 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a shady position, though some cultivars can tolerate full sun[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
,
663
Title
Flora of Southern Africa
Publication
 
Author
Roux J.P.
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=662545
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line resource.
].
Often grown as an ornamental, there are some named varieties[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].
The leaves and branches are aromatic, and release a pungent odour when touched or crushed. Whether pleasant or objectionable tends to be a matter of opinion - one of the common names for this plant is skunk bush[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]..
This species and Plectranthus grallatus are often confused in the herbarium. There are minor differences in the colour of the gland-dots, flower colour and toothing of the leaf margins; the main difference, however, is their range. Plectranthus grallatus is found further inland and at higher elevations than Plectranthus fruticosus, their ranges only very occasionally overlapping[
663
Title
Flora of Southern Africa
Publication
 
Author
Roux J.P.
Website
http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=662545
Publisher
 
Year
2003
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line resource.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is antimicrobial. It is used to treat burns[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
].

The plant contains kaurane diterpenoids, which are at least partly responsible for the antimicrobial action[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
].

Other Uses

The plant is used as an insect repellant[
1346
Title
Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24
Author
Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
]. Bunches of the plant are hung up indoors, or the stems are rubbed on window sills to repel flies[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
,
1347
Title
Plectranthus: A plant for the future?
Publication
South African Journal of Botany 77 (2011) 947-959
Author
Rice L.J.; Brits G.J.; Potgieter C.J.; Van Staden J.
Publisher
 
Year
2011
ISBN
 
Description
A review of the Plectranthus species with potential as economic plants
].

Propagation

Seed - sow in well-drained soil, covering lightly with a thin layer of sand, and place in a warm but shaded spot. The seed germinates in about three weeks[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].
Cuttings of Plectranthus species generally root easily - soft tips root faster than semi-hardwood growth. The cuttings are best taken 60 - 100mm long with three or four nodes, making the cut just below a node. Place them in sand, perlite, vermiculite or peat, or any mixture of these, keep them moist and shaded and they should root in 2 - 3 weeks[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Plectranthus+fruticosus>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.