Coleus comosus Hochst. ex Gürke

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Lamiaceae (Labiatae), A.J. Paton, G. Bramley, O. Ryding, R.M. Polhill, Y.B. Harvey, M. Iwarsson, F. Willis, P.B. Phillipson, K. Balkwill, C.W. Lukhoba, D.F. Otieno, & R.M. Harley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2009

Type

Type: Ethiopia, Dschenausa, Schimper 1328 (P, holo.)

Morphology General Habit

Aromatic perennial succulent softly wooded herb or shrub 0.4–1.5 m tall

Morphology Stem

Stems erect or straggling, branching, sometimes forming cushions, pubescent with antrorse and sometimes patent hairs, becoming glandular above and with scattered red sessile glands

Morphology Leaves

Leaves fleshy, spreading to ascending, petiolate or rarely sessile; blades elliptic to obovate, 1.2–8.8 × 0.5–4.5 cm, crenate, apex obtuse, more rarely acute or rounded, base cuneate, sparsely pubescent, with red and yellowish sessile glands; petiole (0–)2–10 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence condensed with 6-flowered verticils mostly touching in fruit, but sometimes with the lowermost verticil up to 15 mm distant; cymes 3-flowered, sessile, but rarely on short peduncles; bracts blue to purple, ovate, 5–15 mm long, or broadly so, mucronate to apiculate at apex, erect above forming a conspicuous terminal coma, cucullate enclosing buds, soon deciduous; pedicels 3 mm long, erect, flattened, curved distally, slightly winged at base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5–6 mm long, purplish, pubescent, with scattered yellow and red sessile glands; fruiting calyx 6–8 mm long, shortly tubular and with pedicel attached excentrically behind posterior lip; throat truncate, densely villose; posterior lip broadly obovate, rounded to obtuse at apex, curving up, not decurrent; anterior lip 4-lobed, lobes lanceolate to linear with median lobes narrower, rarely anterior lip up to 8-lobed due to development of lanceolate to linear supernumerary teeth

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla blue or purple, 14–22 mm long, with scattered hairs on lobes; tube 7–10 mm long, sigmoid; posterior lip much shorter than anterior lip; anterior lip 7–12 mm long, horizontal, cucullate, enclosing stamens

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Staminal filaments fused

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlets dark grey with paler vein-like marks, smooth, with dark gland dots, broadly ovate in outline, flattened, 2–3 mm long, not producing mucilage when wet.

Ecology

Rocks, cliffs or in crevices; 1800–3000 m

Conservation

Least concern; widely distributed

Note

Specimens from Mt Moroto in U 1 are slightly anomalous in having large calyces with supernumerary teeth on the anterior lip and nutlets 3 mm long; these specimens approach P. grandicalyx which has a fruiting calyx 10 mm long. Further work is needed to clarify the boundary between these two species. Most likely to be confused with P. caninus var. caninus, but differing in the larger fruiting calyx and corolla and more shrubby habit with less villose stem indumentum. Also close to the allopatric P. neochilus Schltr., which differs in having a lax inflorescence with fruiting calyces mostly separate rather than mostly touching. P. neochilus is widely cultivated as an ornamental. Populations from K 7 and T 3 tend to have mature calyces 6 mm long, whereas those in other areas tend to be around 7–8 mm long.

Distribution

Flora districts: U1 K1 K2 K3 K6 K7 T3 T6 Range: Cultivated in South Africa and some other tropical countries Range: Ethiopia, Eritrea