Coleus caninus

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Coleus caninus
Coleus caninus kz02.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. caninus
Binomial name
Coleus caninus
(Roth) Vatke [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Majana canina(Roth) Kuntze
  • Plectranthus caninusRoth

Coleus caninus, synonym Plectranthus caninus, also called dogbane, piss-off plant [2] and scaredy-cat plant, [3] is a herb from the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Africa from Angola to Sudan and to India and Myanmar. [1]

Contents

Description

Cultivar with red tinged leaves Coleus caninus.jpg
Cultivar with red tinged leaves

It is a perennial herb covered in small hairs that features narrow, obovate leaves that are approximately 3-4 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, with semi-erect branches. The pale blue-purple flowers have a succulent and tubular appearance, where the petals then open on the tall inflorescence spike. [4]

Both the leaves and flowers of the plant are sticky to the touch and have an odor similar to Eucalyptus that some animals find unpleasant, deterring both insect infection and grazing by larger animals.[ citation needed ]

Distribution

It is native to southern and eastern Africa and South Asia: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. [1]

Cultivation

The plant is supposed to scare off cats and dogs who may smell the aroma on the intact leaves and be repelled, hence its common name. Though there is no scientific evidence to show that these claims are factual. An attempt to register "Coleus canina" to receive plant variety protection failed as it was considered to be only a clone of Coleus comosus (synonym Plectranthus ornatus). [5]

These plants root easily from cuttings, tolerating mild drought conditions and full sun to part shade. Too much shade causes the stems to become leggy, as they stretch up to look for the sunlight, while the foliage lags behind. It does not tolerate frost and it prefers moist soils, though when established it can tolerate drier conditions. [4]

Subspecies

Two subspecies have been described: [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Coleus caninus (Roth) Vatke", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2020-08-01
  2. "Plectranthus Species, Cat Repellent Plant, Dogs Be Gone, Piss-Off Plant, Scaredy Cat Plant", Dave's Garden, retrieved 2025-06-22
  3. "Coleus caninus", Gardeners World, Immediate Media Company Limited, retrieved 2025-06-22
  4. 1 2 "Dogbane", Mudbrick Herb Cottage, retrieved 2025-06-22
  5. Winkler, Ullrich (2004), Aktenzeichen A 003/2004 (PDF) (in German and English), European Union Community Plant Variety Office, retrieved 2020-08-01
  6. 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