Coleus barbatus var. barbatus

Suddee, S., A. J. Paton, & Parnell, J. (2004). A Taxonomic Revision of Tribe Ocimeae Dumort. (Lamiaceae) in Continental South East Asia II. Plectranthinae. Kew Bulletin, 59(3), 379-414. doi:10.2307/4110950

Distribution

Tropical East Africa, West Asia, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, South China and Thailand.

Ecology

On rocks in open places in forest, in bamboo forest, alt. 500 - 2100 m. Flowering & fruiting all year round.

Morphology General Habit

Suberect or ascending annual or short-lived perennial herbs up to 50 cm tall

Morphology Leaves

Leaves subfleshy, ovate-lanceolate, 30 - 110 x 15 - 50 mm, apex acute, base cuneate or attenuate and decurrent on petiole, margin serrate-crenate, pilose with sessile glands both sides, veins prominent beneath; petioles 10 - 30 mm long, pilose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens united for about half their length, included in anterior corolla lip

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx campanulate, 3 - 4 mm long at anthesis, 6- 8 mm long in fruit; posterior lip ovate, acute or acuminate at apex, margin shortly ciliate, decurrent on tube, shortly pubescent on both sides, with sessile glands outside, nerves prominent inside; anterior lip with teeth subequal, lanceolate, ± equal in length to posterior; tube 10-nerved, pubescent, with sessile glands outside, hairs denser at tube base, with a ring of dense white hairs inside throat, not saccate at anterior base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla purple, 10 - 20 mm long; posterior lip sparsely pubescent, with sessile glands on back, median lobes rounded at apex, much larger than the minute acute lateral lobes; anterior lip ovate-oblong, 5 - 12 mm long, concave, glabrous inside, sparsely pubescent with sessile glands outside; tube 5 - 8 mm long, sigmoid below the middle, gradually dilated towards base, widely expanded at throat, glabrous outside

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc with anterior side obtuse at apex, exceeding ovary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style bifid with equal branches, slightly longer than anterior stamens

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlets black, globose, c. 1 mm in diameter, smooth, shining, not producing mucilage when wet.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence terminal, simple, up to 30 cm long; axis hirsute, with sessile glands; verticils clearly interrupted, 5 - 25 mm apart; cymes sessile, 3 - 4- flowered; bracts sessile, caducous, ovate-lanceolate, 5 -8 x 7- 12 mm, cuspidate, ciliate, pubescent; pedicels 3- 4 mm long at anthesis, 4- 5 mm long in fruit, pubescent

Morphology Stem

Stems branched, sometimes rooting at nodes, quadrangular or round- quadrangular, sparsely to densely hirsute, with sessile glands

Note

The specimens studied belong to the smaller variety, var. barbatus. The very large variety, var. grandis (Cramer) Lukhoba & A. J. Paton, is cultivated and sometimes naturalised in tropical east Africa and Sri Lanka (Lukhoba & Paton 2003). Plectranthus forskohlaei Willd., a basionym of Briquet's name was a superfluous name for Ocimum hadiense Forssk. = Plectranthus hadiensis (Forssk.) Schweinf. ex Sprenger.

Type

Illustration in Bot. Rep. 9: t. 594 (1809), based on a plant cultivated in England, raised from seed sent from Abyssinia by Lord Valentia (lectotype illustration!); Epitype: Eritrea, Dekemhare, 5 Sept. 1954, Colville 47 (K, epitype chosen by Ryding in 1999).