Coleus argentatus

Coleus argentatus, synonym Plectranthus argentatus,[1] common name silver spurflower, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to rock outcrops and rainforest in the border region of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Growing to 1 m (3 ft) tall and broad, it is a spreading deciduous shrub. The hairy leaves are ovate to broad-ovate, 5–11.5 cm long, 3–5.5 cm wide with crenate margins. The hairs give the plant an overall sage green to silvery colour. The flowers are borne on terminal racemes up to 30 cm (12 in) long, and are bluish white.[2] [3]

Coleus argentatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Coleus
Species:
C. argentatus
Binomial name
Coleus argentatus
(S.T.Blake) P.I.Forst. & T.C.Wilson
Synonyms[1]
  • Plectranthus argentatus S.T.Blake

Originally described by Queensland botanist Stanley Thatcher Blake, its specific epithet argentatus is Latin for "silver",[4] referring to its foliage.

Cultivation

Coleus argentatus is cultivated in temperate regions as an ornamental bedding plant for its attractive silvery foliage. It strikes readily from cuttings, or can be grown from seed as a half-hardy annual. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5][6]

Foliage close-up

References
  1. Paton, Alan J.; Mwanyambo, Montfort; Govaerts, Rafaël H.A.; Smitha, Kokkaraniyil; Suddee, Somran; Phillipson, Peter B.; Wilson, Trevor C.; Forster, Paul I. & Culham, Alastair (2019). "Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera". PhytoKeys. 129: 1–158. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.129.34988. PMC 6717120. PMID 31523157.
  2. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  3. Plant profile, NSW Flora Online
  4. Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. ISBN 0-304-52257-0.
  5. "RHS Plant Selector - Plectranthus argentatus". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  6. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 79. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
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