Coleus barbatus (Andrews) Benth. ex G.Don APNI* Description: Erect, bushy shrub to 4 m tall with a tomentose indumentum on leaves. Somewhat unpleasant to remotely pleasant scent when touched or crushed. Sessile multicellular glands yellow to orange. Branches sparsely covered by appressed (usually antrorse) non-glandular trichomes. Does not form a distinctive tuber.
Leaves discolorous; petiole 10–30 mm long; lamina ovate to broadly elliptic, 40–90 mm long, 25– 50 mm wide, apex obtuse to rounded, base obtuse to cuneate, margin regularly crenate-dentate, margin dentate to dentate-crenatewith 10–24 pairs of teeth; upper surface green, veins slightly impressed, glabrous; lower surface pale green, veins raised, sessile multicellular glands densely distributed.
Inflorescence 100–400 mm long, consisting of up to 3 racemose branches, verticillasters 6–8-flowered. Pedicel erect, 4–5 mm long. Calyx c. 4 mm long, densely villous in throat. Corolla pale to strongly blue-mauve, 17–20 mm long; tube 3.8–11 mm long, curved downwards at a maximum angle of 60°–80°. Stamen with only anthers exserted past lower corolla lobe, pollen orange. Style only extending just beyond lower corolla lobe.
Fruiting calyx accrescent, c. 7 mm long. Mericarp not observed in Australian material.
Flowering: from April to June.
Distribution and occurrence: Commonly cultivated. Native to eastern Africa and India. In its native range it grows in forest margins and among rocks in shady places.
NSW subdivisions:
*
This is one of the tallest species of Coleus, its size unmistakeably from all other native Australian Coleus.
Text by T.C.Wilson (April 2026)
Taxon concept: Paton A.J. (2019) Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus(Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera. PhytoKeys 129:1–158.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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