Flame Nettle

Flame Nettle Overview

Coleus is a genus under extensive investigation, with different sources reporting up to 25 tropical perennial species from the Lamiaceae family. The majority of scientific literature agrees that most species from this genus have been split into the genera Plectranthus and Solenostemon, with Coleus now used mainly as a common name for species once included in this genus. Many of these are highly prized as ornamental plants, cultivated for their impressive, often variegated, bright, showy foliage. Even though it is a perennial, Coleus is often grown as bedding plants. Coleus can be grown as a house plant or used for a summer bedding scheme outside. It's easy to propagate from seed and is a good plant to encourage children to grow. After a recent study of the evolutionary development of these plants (phylogenetic), NATAG (RHS Nomenclature and Taxonomy Advisory Group) announced in the March 2021 edition of The Plant Review that Pycnostachys and Solenostemon genus have been transferred to Coleus, along with some species from Isodon and Plectranthus.