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Coleus australis

(R.Br.) A.J.Paton (2019)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Coleus

‘ala‘ala wai nui [alaala wai nui], ‘ala‘ala wai nui pua kī [alaala wai nui pua ki], ‘ala‘ala wai nui wahine [alaala wai nui wahine], spurflower

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect or ascending perennial herbs from a fleshy tuberous base, sometimes woody at base.

Stems: Stems and branches somewhat fleshy, 1–5(–10) dm long, densely villous.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to suborbicular or broadly deltate, 1.5–3(–9) cm long, 0.5–2(–3.9) cm wide. Apex rounded to sometimes acute. Base broadly cuneate to truncate or sometimes subcordate. Surfaces villous–tomentose; upper surfaces with small oil globules; lower surfaces glandular punctate, the glands reddish; green, thick or sometimes thin, chartaceous. Margins coarsely crenate or crenate–dentate. Petioles 0.5–1(–3.5) cm long, villous. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 6–12 in dense verticillasters, these arranged in terminal, racemose inflorescences 5–30 cm long, these simple or sometimes branched at base, bracts cordate, caducous. Calyx actinomorphic, occasionally bilabiate, 1.2–2.5 mm long, enlarging to 3–5 mm long in fruit, densely short-villous and glandular punctate, the glands reddish, upper lip entire, broadly ovate, becoming recurved in fruit, the surface somewhat reticulate, lower lip 4-toothed, the teeth subequal, lateral ones slightly shorter and wider than median ones, all teeth sharply pointed. Corolla zygomorphic, much exserted, pale blue, 3.5–5.5 mm long, puberulent and glandular punctate, lower lip boat–shaped, longer than upper lip; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 4, exserted beyond corolla tube; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; ovules 1 per ovary lobe, placentation basal-axile; style 1, shortly 2 lobed; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets brown; ovoid to lenticular; ca. 0.8 mm long. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy: 2n = 34

Habitat: occurring in dry; exposed and often rocky sites.

Elevation Range: 0–1,310 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • The fruits of Plectranthus parviflorus are small brown nuts less than 1/4 inch long. To collect them, remove the flower spikes from the plants after they flowers have fallen off and place them on a piece of paper or in a paper bag.
  • Sow the seeds on the surface of moist sterile media such as 2 parts potting mix to 1 part perlite. Do not cover the seeds. Koob states that germination takes from 2 week to 1 month; NTBG suggests 1 to 3 months. (Koob 1998; NTBG 1994)
  • Plectranthus parviflorus grows quickly and easily from cuttings. Use tip cuttings about 4 inches long with 3 or 4 nodes. NTBG suggests taking the cuttings in the morning. Stick the cutting with at least one node beneath the surface of a well drained propagation medium. Koob recommends coarse sand or vermiculite; NTBG suggests 1 part potting mix to 2 part perlite, or a mix of 1 part potting mix to 1 part fine cinder. NTBG states that rooting hormones are not necessary and that cuttings root in 1 to 3 months. (Koob 1998; NTBG 1994) [Data from Herring, E. C., & Criley, R. A. (2003). The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site: Developing a Webbased Information Resource. HortTechnology, 13(3), 545-548. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawnprop/]

Natural History

Statewide Status

Indigenous

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Indigenous
Kaua'i Indigenous
O'ahu Indigenous
Molokai Indigenous
Lana'i Indigenous
Maui Indigenous
Hawai'i Indigenous

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: PhytoKeys 129: 21 (2019)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:827 (Ni, K, O, Mo, L, M, H [as Plectranthus parviflorus]); Paton et al. 2019:21 (Syn. P. parviflorus = C. australis)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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