Coleus (redirected from Solenostemon)

coleus (kō`lēəs), common name for a genus of plants with large colorful leaves native to tropical Asia and Africa. Several species are grown as ornamentals. Plants of the genus Coleus are in the family Labiatae (mint family).

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coleus

Any member of the Old World tropical plant genus Coleus, containing about 150 species, in the mint family, best known for its colourful foliage. Varieties of C. blumei, from Java, are well-known houseplants and garden plants. They have square stems and small, blue, two-lipped flowers in spikes. Bush coleus (C. thrysoideus), from Central Africa, produces sprays of bright blue flowers. Others are variously known as flame nettle, painted leaves, painted nettle, Spanish thyme, Indian borage, country borage, and flowering bush.

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Coleus 

a genus of plants of the family Labiatae. They are primarily perennial herbs or subshrubs with opposite leaves. The flowers, which are blue or lilac, small, and verticillastrate, are gathered into compound inflorescences. There are approximately 150 species, distributed in the tropics of the eastern hemisphere. Some species, such as Coleus parviflorus and C. edulis, have starchy tubers and are cultivated for food in tropical Africa and Asia. Many species are ornamental. Some have beautiful blossoms (C. frederici, C. thyrsoides, and C. shirensis); others have velvety reddish or brownish leaves that sometimes have a design or border. The hybrid varieties C. blumei and C. rehneltianus, with variegated leaves, are cultivated in greenhouses and are common house plants.