Coleus amboinicus

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Coleus amboinicus
Leaf -pani koorkka.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Coleus
Species:
C. amboinicus
Binomial name
Coleus amboinicus
Synonyms [1]
  • Plectranthus amboinicusLour.
  • Coleus aromaticus Benth.

Coleus amboinicus, synonym Plectranthus amboinicus, [1] is a semi-succulent perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae [2] with a pungent oregano-like flavor and odor. Coleus amboinicus is considered to be native to parts of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India, [3] although it is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in the tropics where it is used as a spice and ornamental plant. [2] Common names in English include Indian borage, country borage, French thyme, Indian mint, Mexican mint, Cuban oregano, broad leaf thyme, soup mint, Spanish thyme. [2] The species epithet, amboinicus refers to Ambon Island, in Indonesia, where it was apparently encountered and described by João de Loureiro (1717–1791). [4] [ full citation needed ]

Contents

Description

A member of the mint family Lamiaceae, [2] Coleus amboinicus grows up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall. The stem is fleshy, about 30–90 cm (12–35 in), either with long rigid hairs (hispidly villous) or densely covered with soft, short and erect hairs (tomentose). Old stems are smooth (glabrescent).

Leaves are 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) by 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in), fleshy, undivided (simple), broad, egg/oval-shaped with a tapering tip (ovate). The margins are coarsely crenate to dentate-crenate except in the base. They are thickly studded with hairs (pubescent), with the lower surface possessing the most numerous glandular hairs, giving a frosted appearance. The petiole is 2–4.5 cm (0.79–1.77 in). The aroma of the leaves can be described as a pungent combination of the aromas of oregano, thyme, and turpentine. [5] The taste of the leaves is described as being similar to the one of oregano, but with a sharp mint-like flavor. [6]

Flowers are on a short stem (shortly pedicelled), pale purplish, in dense 10-20 (or more) flowered dense whorls (cymes), at distant intervals, in a long slender spike-like raceme. Rachis 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in), fleshy and pubescent. The bracts are broadly ovate, 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) long, acute. The calyx is campanulate, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long, hirsute and glandular, subequally 5-toothed, upper tooth broadly ovate-oblong, obtuse, abruptly acute, lateral and lower teeth acute. Corolla blue, curved and declinate, 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long, tube 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. Trumpet-like widened; limb 2-lipped, upper lip short, erect, puberulent, lower lip long, concave. Filaments are fused below into a tube around the style.

The seeds (nutlets) are smooth, pale-brown, roundish flattened, c. 0.7 by 0.5 mm (0.028 by 0.020 in). [7]

Distribution and habitat

Coleus amboinicus is native to Southern and Eastern Africa, (from South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal) and Eswatini to Angola and Mozambique and north to Kenya and Tanzania) the Arabian Peninsula and India, where it grows in woodland or coastal bush, on rocky slopes and loamy or sandy flats at low elevations. [8] [9] [10] The plant was later brought to Europe, and then from Spain to the Americas, hence the name Spanish thyme. [8] [11]

Research

In basic research, the effects of the essential oil were tested with other plant essential oils for possible use as a mosquito repellant. [2] [12]

Uses

The leaves are strongly flavored. [10] The herb is used as a substitute for oregano to mask the strong odors and flavors of fish, mutton, and goat. [13] It may be batter-fried to make pakodas or rasam.[ citation needed ] In the Caribbean, leaves are commonly used when seasoning meats for its pungent aroma. [2]

Fresh leaves are used to scent laundry and hair. [2] It is also grown as an ornamental plant. [2]

Variegated Cuban oregano (Coleus amboinicus 'Variegatus') Variegated Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus 'Variegatus') 1.jpg
Variegated Cuban oregano (Coleus amboinicus 'Variegatus')

Phytochemicals

The main chemical compounds found in the essential oil of Coleus amboinicus are carvacrol (28.65%), thymol (21.66%), α-humulene (9.67%), undecanal (8.29%), γ-terpinene (7.76%), p-cymene (6.46%), caryophyllene oxide (5.85%), α-terpineol (3.28%), and β-selinene (2.01%). [14] Another analysis obtained thymol (41.3%), carvacrol (13.25%), 1,8-cineole (5.45%), eugenol (4.40%), caryophyllene (4.20%), terpinolene (3.75%), α-pinene (3.20%), β-pinene (2.50%), methyl eugenol (2.10%), and β-phellandrene (1.90%). The variations can be attributed to the methodology used in the extraction process, seasonal variations, soil type, climate, genetic and geographical variations of the plant. [15]

Cultivation

Coleus amboinicus is a fast-growing plant commonly grown in gardens and indoors in pots. Propagation is by stem cuttings, but it can also be grown from seeds. In dry climates the herb grows easily in a well-drained, semi-shaded position. It is frost tender (USDA hardiness zones 10–11) [16] and grows well in subtropical and tropical locations, but will do well in cooler climates if grown in a pot and brought indoors, or moved to a warm, sheltered position in winter. In Hawaii and other humid tropical locations, the plant requires full sun. [5] It can be harvested throughout the growing season to be used fresh, dried, or frozen. [17]

Common names

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes sage and mint

The Lamiaceae or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees, or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as Salvia hispanica (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as Plectranthus edulis, Plectranthus esculentus, Plectranthus rotundifolius, and Stachys affinis. Many are also grown ornamentally, notably coleus, Plectranthus, and many Salvia species and hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregano</span> Species of flowering plant

Oregano is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary</span> Species of plant

Salvia rosmarinus, commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is native to the Mediterranean region, as well as Portugal and Spain. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name Rosmarinus officinalis, now a synonym.

<i>Thymus serpyllum</i> Species of plant

Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to most of Europe and North Africa. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub growing to 2 cm (1 in) tall with creeping stems up to 10 cm (4 in) long. The oval evergreen leaves are 3–8 mm long. The strongly scented flowers are either lilac, pink-purple, magenta, or a rare white, all 4–6 mm long and produced in clusters. The hardy plant tolerates some pedestrian traffic and produces odors ranging from heavily herbal to lightly lemon, depending on the variety.

<i>Dysphania ambrosioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Dysphania ambrosioides, formerly Chenopodium ambrosioides, known as epazote, Jesuit's tea, Mexican tea or wormseed, is an annual or short-lived perennial herb native to the Americas.

<i>Coleus rotundifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus rotundifolius, synonyms Plectranthus rotundifolius and Solenostemon rotundifolius, commonly known as native potato or country potato in Africa and called Chinese potato in India, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to tropical Africa. It is cultivated for its edible tubers primarily in West Africa, as well as more recently in parts of Asia, especially India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

<i>Plectranthus</i> Family of shrubs

Plectranthus is a genus of about 85 species of flowering plants from the sage family, Lamiaceae, found mostly in southern and tropical Africa and Madagascar. Common names include spur-flower. Plectranthus species are herbaceous perennial plants, rarely annuals or soft-wooded shrubs, sometimes succulent; sometimes with a tuberous base.

<i>Coleus esculentus</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus esculentus, synonym Plectranthus esculentus, also known as the kaffir potato or Livingstone potato, is a species of plant in the dicot family Lamiaceae. It is indigenous to Africa, where it is grown for its edible tubers. It is more difficult to cultivate than Coleus rotundifolius, but able to give greater yields. Although the crop is similar to a potato, it is from the mint family, but it is still quite nutritious and useful. This crop can benefit many subsistence farmers since it is native, easy to grow, enjoying growing popularity in the market, and quite nutritious.

<i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Thymus vulgaris is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe from the western Mediterranean to southern Italy. Growing to 15–30 cm (6–12 in) tall by 40 cm (16 in) wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen subshrub with small, highly aromatic, grey-green leaves and clusters of purple or pink flowers in early summer.

<i>Cunila origanoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Cunila origanoides, with the common names stone mint, frost mint, dittany, and American dittany, is a perennial late-summer-flowering subshrub with small purple flowers that is native to the central and eastern United States. It belongs to the Lamiaceae (mint) family and is the only species in the Cunila genus native to the United States. It grows in habitats such as dry forests and the thin soil around rock outcrops. This species has historically been cultivated for use as a medicinal herb, tea, and ornamental plant.

<i>Coleus caninus</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus caninus, synonym Plectranthus caninus, is a herb from the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Africa from Angola to Sudan and to India and Myanmar.

<i>Coleus argentatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus argentatus, synonym Plectranthus argentatus, 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.

<i>Coleus scutellarioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus scutellarioides, commonly known as coleus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to southeast Asia through to Australia. Typically growing to 60–75 cm (24–30 in) tall and wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen perennial, widely grown for the highly decorative variegated leaves found in cultivated varieties. Another common name is painted nettle, reflecting its relationship to deadnettles, which are in the same family. The synonyms Coleus blumei, Plectranthus scutellarioides and Solenostemon scutellarioides are also widely used for this species.

<i>Hyssopus officinalis</i> Species of plant

Hyssopus officinalis or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expectorant, it has been used in traditional herbal medicine.

<i>Lippia graveolens</i> Species of flowering plant

Lippia graveolens, a species of flowering plant in the verbena or vervain family, Verbenaceae, is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua. Common names include: Mexican oregano, redbrush lippia, orégano cimarrón, scented lippia, and scented matgrass. The specific epithet is derived from two Latin words: gravis, meaning 'heavy', and olens, meaning 'smelling'. It is a shrub or small tree, reaching 1–2.7 m (3.3–8.9 ft) in height. Fragrant white or yellowish flowers can be found on the plant throughout the year, especially after rains.

Hedeoma patens is a small herb in the genus Hedeoma, family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is not very closely related to true oregano.

<i>Coleus neochilus</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleus neochilus, synonym Plectranthus neochilus, which is colloquially known as lobster bush, fly bush or mosquito bush, is a perennial ground cover with highly fragrant, partially scalloped, ovate leaves and purple blue inflorescent spikes.

<i>Plectranthus oertendahlii</i> Species of flowering plant

Plectranthus oertendahlii is a species of flowering plant in the sage and mint family, Lamiaceae. Common names include silverleaf spurflower, Swedish ivy, Oertendahl's spurflower, November lights and Brazilian coleus, though it is native to eastern South Africa rather than Brazil. Plectranthus oertendahlii and the cultivar 'Uvongo' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Satureja thymbra</i> Species of plant

Satureja thymbra, commonly known as savory of Crete, whorled savory, pink savory, and Roman hyssop, is a perennial-green dwarf shrub of the family Lamiaceae, having strongly scented leaves, native to Libya, southeastern Europe from Sardinia to Turkey; Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The plant is noted for its dark-green leaves which grow on numerous, closely compacted branches, reaching a height of 20–50 cm. The plant bears pink to purple flowers that blossom between March and June.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Plectranthus amboinicus (Indian borage), Datasheet, Invasive Species Compendium". Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Coleus amboinicus Lour.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  4. ↑ https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?cat_id=14&plant_id=3810&page=9, accessed 23 May 2020
  5. 1 2 Culinary herbs, by Ernest Small, National Research Council of Canada NRC Research Press, 1997, p. 488.
  6. ↑ Florida's Best Herbs and Spices: Native and Exotic Plants Grown for Scent and Flavor, by Charles R. Boning, Pineapple Press Inc, 2010 p. 75.
  7. ↑ Flora Malesiana, Vol. 8, by Steenis, C. G. G. J. van (Cornelis Gijsbert Gerrit Jan); Steenis-Kruseman, M. J. van; Indonesia. Department Pertanian; Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia; Kebun Raya Indonesia, Publication date 1950, p. 387. Available on https://archive.org/details/floramalesiana83stee.
  8. 1 2 Codd, L. E. W. et al. Flora of Southern Africa : the Republic of South Africa, Basutoland, Swaziland and South West Africa. Vol. 28, part 4, 1981, page 148. Available on Biodiversity Heritage Library at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51375271.
  9. ↑ Flora Malesiana, Vol. 8, by Steenis, C. G. G. J. van (Cornelis Gijsbert Gerrit Jan); Steenis-Kruseman, M. J. van; Indonesia. Departemen Pertanian; Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia; Kebun Raya Indonesia, Publication date 1950, p. 387. Available on https://archive.org/details/floramalesiana83stee.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Plectranthus amboinicus". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  11. ↑ George Staples; Michael S. Kristiansen (1999). Ethnic Culinary Herbs: A Guide to Identification and Cultivation in Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. p. 88. ISBN   978-0-8248-2094-7.
  12. ↑ Lalthazuali; Mathew, N (2017). "Mosquito repellent activity of volatile oils from selected aromatic plants". Parasitology Research. 116 (2): 821–825. doi:10.1007/s00436-016-5351-4. PMID   28013374. S2CID   5158038.
  13. ↑ The Herbalist in the Kitchen, by Gary Allen, University of Illinois Press, 2010, p. 198
  14. ↑ Senthilkumar, A; Venkatesalu, V (2010). "Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of the essential oil of Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng against Anopheles stephensi: A malarial vector mosquito". Parasitology Research. 107 (5): 1275–8. doi:10.1007/s00436-010-1996-6. PMID   20668876. S2CID   6776822.
  15. ↑ Lopes, P. Q; Carneiro, F. B; De Sousa, A. L; Santos, S. G; Oliveira, E. E; Soares, L. A (2017). "Technological Evaluation of Emulsions Containing the Volatile Oil from Leaves of Plectranthus Amboinicus Lour". Pharmacognosy Magazine. 13 (49): 159–167. doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.197646 (inactive 2024-09-12). PMC   5307902 . PMID   28216901.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2024 (link)
  16. ↑ "Plectranthus amboinicus". Fine Gardening. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  17. ↑ "Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus) | My Garden Life". www.mygardenlife.com. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  18. ↑ Gary Allen, The Herbalist in the Kitchen, University of Illinois Press, 2010, p. 198.
  19. 1 2 3 Tropicos, http://www.tropicos.org/Name/17602719, accessed 21 August 2012
  20. ↑ Encyclopedia of Life, https://eol.org/pages/50437093/names, accessed 23 May 2024
  21. ↑ and (both in Spanish)
  22. ↑ "Coleus amboinicus | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org.
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