Coleus
Encyclopedia
Solenostemon is a genus
of perennial plant
s, native to tropical Africa
, Asia
, Australia
, the East Indies
, the Malay Archipelago
, and the Philippines
. They are commonly known as Coleus, a name which derives from an earlier classification under the genus name Coleus, which is currently treated as two: with species included in either the genus Solenostemon or in another genus, Plectranthus
.
the southeast Asian species Solenostemon scutellarioides have been selected for their colorful variegated leaves
, typically with sharp contrast between the colors; the leaves may be green, pink, yellow, black (a very dark purple), maroon, and red (somewhat resembling the unrelated caladium
). New cultivars with varieties of colors are constantly being made. The plants grow well in moist well-drained soil, and typically grow 0.5–1 m tall, though some may grow as tall as 2 meters. Coleus are typically grown as ornamental plant
s. They are heat-tolerant, but they do less well in full sun in subtropical areas than in the shade. In mild areas (no snow in winter), plants can usually be kept as perennials if well managed. In colder areas, they are often grown as annual
s, since the plants are not hardy and become leggy with age (to encourage bushing in leggy plants, simply pinch back growing tips). In bright, hot areas, the colors of the plant are typically more intense in shaded areas than in full sun, and the plants will require less water there. Coleus also make low-maintenance houseplant
s, and can often be propagated by clipping a length of stem just below the leaves and putting the stem in water to root. The plant's flower
s grow on a stem above that stem's leaves, and tend to be purple and quite small in comparison to the leaves. The plant is not generally grown for its flowers, as it promotes stem elongation (remove to halt this).
which causes brown or yellow spots on leaves, rings, black or brown stem discoloration, and brown leaf veins, ultimately resulting in plant death. The disease is spread by an insect called a thrips
that carries the virus from an infected plant to an uninfected plant. It only takes a few of these insects to infect a whole greenhouse. http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/pddc/factsheets/INSV.pdf
There are two ways to propagate
Coleus. Seeds are inexpensive and easily obtainable. To germinate, simply sprinkle seeds on the surface soil and press down. Seeds need light to germinate, so avoid covering the seeds. To keep seeds moist, grow in a container and cover with plastic, or mist seeds daily (if starting seeds directly in the garden). Sprouts can show color in as little as two weeks. Alternatively, cuttings can be taken. Cuttings root readily in plain water, without the addition of rooting hormone (although it is still beneficial).
(now known as Solenostemon scutellarioides) has very mild relaxing and hallucinogenic effects when consumed. The effects of the Coleus plant have not been explored very much but the plant has been known to have been used by the Mazatec Indians of southern Mexico who have been consuming this plant for years for its mind-altering effects.
It is not known what psychoactive chemical(s) exist in the Coleus blumei plant, as there has been very little research on the subject.
Some people have claimed that they have experienced hallucinogenic effects from chewing several dozen fresh coleus leaves as a quid or brewing them to make a tea, although others have reported feeling no effects at all.
Others have also claimed that smoking dried coleus leaves causes effects similar to smoking dried Salvia divinorum
leaves, as the active compounds in the two plants may have similar chemical structures.
However, some people claim that only the fresh leaves of the Coleus blumei plant are psychoactive.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s, native to tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
, the Malay Archipelago
Malay Archipelago
The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. They are commonly known as Coleus, a name which derives from an earlier classification under the genus name Coleus, which is currently treated as two: with species included in either the genus Solenostemon or in another genus, Plectranthus
Plectranthus
Plectranthus, with some 350 species, is a genus of warm-climate plants occurring largely in the southern hemisphere, in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, India and the Indonesian archipelago down to Australia and some Pacific islands. It is closely related to Solenostemon, sometimes known as the...
.
Species
Species include:- Solenostemon autranii (Briq.) J. K. Morton
- Solenostemon rotundifolius (Poiret) J.K. Morton
- Solenostemon scutellarioidesSolenostemon scutellarioidesSolenostemon scutellarioides is a species of perennial plant. Common names include Coleus or Painted Nettle.The Coleus plant has very colorful foliage and is popular as a houseplant and in gardens. Its geographic origin is Southeast Asia and Malaysia...
(Linnaeus) Codd (syn. Coleus blumei) - Solenostemon shirensis (Gürke) Codd
- Solenostemon pumilus
Cultivation
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, typically with sharp contrast between the colors; the leaves may be green, pink, yellow, black (a very dark purple), maroon, and red (somewhat resembling the unrelated caladium
Caladium
Caladium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are often known by the common name elephant ear , Heart of Jesus, and Angel Wings...
). New cultivars with varieties of colors are constantly being made. The plants grow well in moist well-drained soil, and typically grow 0.5–1 m tall, though some may grow as tall as 2 meters. Coleus are typically grown as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s. They are heat-tolerant, but they do less well in full sun in subtropical areas than in the shade. In mild areas (no snow in winter), plants can usually be kept as perennials if well managed. In colder areas, they are often grown as annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
s, since the plants are not hardy and become leggy with age (to encourage bushing in leggy plants, simply pinch back growing tips). In bright, hot areas, the colors of the plant are typically more intense in shaded areas than in full sun, and the plants will require less water there. Coleus also make low-maintenance houseplant
Houseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
s, and can often be propagated by clipping a length of stem just below the leaves and putting the stem in water to root. The plant's flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s grow on a stem above that stem's leaves, and tend to be purple and quite small in comparison to the leaves. The plant is not generally grown for its flowers, as it promotes stem elongation (remove to halt this).
Diseases
One disease that can affect coleus is downy mildew. This mildew appears on the leaves making the plant look dirty because it is brown in color. The organism is called Peronospora sp. and can also result in curled and twisted leaves. Sometimes symptoms are not found on leaves which make the disease harder to control.http://gpnmag.com/articles/new%20disease%20attacking%20coleus.pdf Another disease is impatiens necrotic spot virusImpatiens necrotic spot virus
SummaryImpatiens necrotic spot virus ' is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Bunyaviridae. It was originally believed to be another strain of Tomato spotted wilt virus but genetic investigations revealed them to be separate viruses...
which causes brown or yellow spots on leaves, rings, black or brown stem discoloration, and brown leaf veins, ultimately resulting in plant death. The disease is spread by an insect called a thrips
Thrips
Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings . Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice...
that carries the virus from an infected plant to an uninfected plant. It only takes a few of these insects to infect a whole greenhouse. http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/pddc/factsheets/INSV.pdf
Propagation
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
Coleus. Seeds are inexpensive and easily obtainable. To germinate, simply sprinkle seeds on the surface soil and press down. Seeds need light to germinate, so avoid covering the seeds. To keep seeds moist, grow in a container and cover with plastic, or mist seeds daily (if starting seeds directly in the garden). Sprouts can show color in as little as two weeks. Alternatively, cuttings can be taken. Cuttings root readily in plain water, without the addition of rooting hormone (although it is still beneficial).
Psychoactivity
Coleus blumeiSolenostemon scutellarioides
Solenostemon scutellarioides is a species of perennial plant. Common names include Coleus or Painted Nettle.The Coleus plant has very colorful foliage and is popular as a houseplant and in gardens. Its geographic origin is Southeast Asia and Malaysia...
(now known as Solenostemon scutellarioides) has very mild relaxing and hallucinogenic effects when consumed. The effects of the Coleus plant have not been explored very much but the plant has been known to have been used by the Mazatec Indians of southern Mexico who have been consuming this plant for years for its mind-altering effects.
It is not known what psychoactive chemical(s) exist in the Coleus blumei plant, as there has been very little research on the subject.
Some people have claimed that they have experienced hallucinogenic effects from chewing several dozen fresh coleus leaves as a quid or brewing them to make a tea, although others have reported feeling no effects at all.
Others have also claimed that smoking dried coleus leaves causes effects similar to smoking dried Salvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant which can induce dissociative effects and is a potent producer of "visions" and other hallucinatory experiences...
leaves, as the active compounds in the two plants may have similar chemical structures.
However, some people claim that only the fresh leaves of the Coleus blumei plant are psychoactive.