''Solenostemon'' is a former

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Lamiaceae. It has been included in the genus ''

Plectranthus ''Plectranthus'' is a genus of about 85 species of flowering plants from the sage family, Lamiaceae, found mostly in southern and tropical Africa and Madagascar. Common names include spur-flower. ''Plectranthus'' species are herbaceous perennial ...

'', but is now included in an expanded ''

Coleus ''Coleus'' (, ) is a genus of annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, sometimes succulent, sometimes with a fleshy or tuberous rootstock, found in the Afro-Eurasia tropics and subtropics. The relationship among the genera ''Coleus'', '' Solenoste ...

''. They are

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

Africa, Asia and Australia. Some species formerly placed in this genus are cultivated for their highly variegated leaves.

Former species

Some species formerly placed in the genus are: *''Solenostemon autranii'' (Briq.) J.K.Morton, now '' Coleus autranii'', syn. ''Plectranthus autranii'' *''Solenostemon rotundifolius'', now ''

Coleus rotundifolius ''Coleus rotundifolius'', synonyms ''Plectranthus rotundifolius'' and ''Solenostemon rotundifolius'', commonly known as native potato or country potato in Africa and called Chinese potato in India, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the mint f ...

'', syn. ''Plectranthus rotundifolius'' *''Solenostemon scutellarioides'' (L.) Codd, now ''

Coleus scutellarioides ''Coleus scutellarioides'', commonly known as coleus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae (the mint or deadnettle family), native to southeast Asia through to Australia. Typically growing to tall and wide, it is a bushy, wood ...

'', syns. ''Coleus blumei'', ''Plectranthus scutellarioides'' *''Solenostemon shirensis'' (Gürke) Codd, now '' Coleus shirensi''

Gallery

File:Solenostemon coleus baby plant.jpg, Young Solenostemon coleus seedlings growing in a pot. File:Solenostemon coleus Seedlings (baby plant).jpg, Early-stage Coleus plant with developing leaves. File:Solenostemon coleus Seedlings.jpg, Young Coleus sprouting vibrant red new leaves.

References

External links

Annotated Checklist of Cultivated Plants of Hawai‘i: ''Solenostemon''USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN): Species Records of ''Solenostemon''
Lamiaceae Lamiaceae genera Historically recognized angiosperm genera Garden plants of Asia Garden plants of Africa Coleus {{Lamiaceae-stub