Indian coleus
Plectranthus barbatus

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It has a thickened fleshy rootstock. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are erect. They only have a few branches. It is 20-30 cm high. It can be 75 cm high. The leaves have short stalks. The leaves are oval and have teeth along the edge. They are 4-8 cm long by 2-4.5 cm wide. They are hairy on both surfaces. The flowers are in spike like groups 10-20 cm long. The flowers are pale blue in spikes forming a ring.

There are about 250 Plectranthus species. They are mainly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows throughout Nepal between 1000-2500 m altitude. It grows in openings in pine forests. It is rare in Swaziland.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, Asia, Bhutan, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Himalayas, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Middle East, Nepal, Pakistan, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland

How it is used for food

The young nutlets are added as flavouring to pickles and roasted foods. The tubers are eaten.

It is widely cultivated.

Edible parts

Seeds - spice, tubers, root

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds or suckers.

Its other names

Local names

Gandhe jhar

Synonyms

Coleus barbatus (Andrews) Benth.; Coleus forskalii (Willd.) Briq. non Vahl; Plectranthus forskahlei Aiton;