Recently, a friend sent me a photo of a flower that was given to her under the name “room mint” and was recommended to brew tea from it. I instantly guessed the plant, it turned out to be my favorite plectrantus. Having started to study information about the plant in more detail, I found out that plectratus is not only a spectacular ampel. Indeed, fragrant tea is brewed from it. And they are also used to treat many diseases, to fight moths and even to attract money! Read more about plectrantus, or bristle flower, in this article.
Plectrantus is beautiful, fragrant and healthy. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
Contents:
What is Plectranthus?
Plectrantus (Pickranthus) Is a semi-succulent perennial with a lignified base; in the south, it grows as an evergreen. Plectrantus has characteristic thick, fluffy leaves with a strong pleasant smell, they can be round, cordate or triangular in shape, the edges are serrated wavy. Flowers in spikes or panicles are two-lipped, can be white, pink or lavender. The height of the plant varies greatly depending on the species – from 15 cm to 1 m or more, many species spread along the ground or grow like ampels.
In the middle lane, indoor mint is grown as a thermophilic annual or indoor flower. Primarily prized for its attractive foliage. Plectrantus is a great addition to compositions of bright annual plants. Cuttings can also be planted directly in the flower bed, as the plant grows quickly.
Pay attention! Sometimes plectrnatus is confused with ivy-leaved budra, especially with its variegated form. But budra has smaller leaves and they feel less dense and not at all as juicy as those of plectrantus. Budra stems are thin and drooping.
Decorative types of plectrantus
At the moment I have a small collection of plectranthus, which I hope to expand further in the future. The species described below are grown only as ornamental plants and are not used for food and medicinal purposes. Although the odor in plants can be very strong, foliage exudes it only on direct contact if the leaf is rubbed or broken. If the plectrantus just stands on the windowsill, then even at close range it will not smell like anything.
Plectranthus wheel-shaped
Plectrantus koleusovidnyj, or Forstera (Plectranthus coleoides Marginatus, Plectranthus forsteri) Is one of the most popular plant species, which can often be found in urban landscaping. In particular, I first encountered him when I saw a magnificent composition in the phytodesign of a cafe. This variegated plectranthus grew in the company of bright red geraniums, which looked stunningly impressive. Later I managed to find out what kind of plant it was and acquire its cutting. Plectrantus coleus is a small bush up to 25-30 cm high and 50-60 cm wide with green serrated leaves with a maximum length of about 4 cm.
The most popular in decorative floriculture is the variegated variation of Forster’s plectranthus “Marginatus”, or “Variegatus”… It is a very bushy plant with bright green toothed leaves beautifully bordered by a creamy stripe. In autumn, the plant can bloom with lavender or white small flowers. Stems and leaves are sparsely pubescent, with long and short hairs. When grown in a container, the shoots begin to droop under the weight of the leaves, which is why this plant is popular as an ampel.
As for the smell, this type of plectrantus is perhaps the most intense, most often described as camphor, but personally I feel that this plant smells of incense. Different people have different attitudes towards this fragrance. But for me personally (although the smell is harsh), it has a calming effect.
Read also our article Mint and not mint – how to distinguish, use and where to plant?
Plectranthus silver
Plectranthus silver (Plectranthus argentatus) is prized for its attractive, fluffy, gray-green foliage that appears to be covered in frost. Most often, we grow its varietal variation “Silver Shield” (Silver Shield). This cultivar is more compact than the species plant, it usually grows up to 30 cm in height and up to 60 cm in width. Leaves are ovate, pointed, gray-green with a comb edge, covered with dense silvery pubescence. The stems are ascending, but in hanging baskets the bush grows like an ampelous one. Tubular bluish-white flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences, bloom in mid-summer.
This hybrid can be easily grown from seeds sown indoors 4-6 weeks prior to planting in a permanent location. I grew the silver plectrantus from seeds. The process of growing plectrantus seedlings does not present any difficulties, and its cultivation is similar to sowing Coleus. Plants from seeds develop very quickly and reach the peak of decorativeness by the middle of summer, having time to bloom. The mother plant can be brought into the house for the winter, grown as a houseplant, and drawn in the spring.
I really liked to combine silver plectrantus with flowering plants of cold color of petals, for example, with purple petunias, blue brachicoma, blue ageratum and others. The plectrantus hanging from a hanging basket looks especially impressive. The aroma of such a plectrantus is also similar to incense or camphor, but slightly weaker than that of Coleus.
Plectranthus reddening
Plectranthus reddening (Plectranthus purpuratus) Is an erect, spreading plant with dark green fleshy leaves, which are distinguished by a purple hue on the back, the stems can also be purple. On the green background of the foliage, the beet-colored veins look very decorative, the young leaves are almost completely painted purple, so the bushes look multi-colored. The leaves are slightly rounded and serrated in shape.
Inflorescences appear on the tops of the shoots – this is an ear 30-120 mm long, often with two lateral branches. The flowers are tiny, two-lipped, from white to bluish, with specks. Indoors, this type of plectrantus blooms from September to May. The height of the bush does not exceed 30 centimeters, in pots it also behaves like an ampel.
Not only is it a spectacular houseplant, it is ideal for rockeries, containers or as a shade groundcover. I first met this plant when I saw it in a flower bed near a flower shop, where it formed a dense rug that looked very unusual, since this type of plectrantus is used very rarely as a flower bed plant.
For me, plectrantus turned out to be a wonderful ampelous plant for balcony boxes, where it formed a magnificent duet with petunias and pethoa of warm sunny shades (yellow, orange, ivory). Unlike other types of plectranthus, this is one of the most compact species that does not take up too much space in the pot.
When I bring in mother plants for the winter, they give me their pretty blooms in October, their speckled flowers resemble tiny orchids, and their white petals against the background of burgundy foliage look especially attractive. Believe it or not, this plectrantus smells like basil. But its aroma is weaker than that of other species.
Read also our article 5 of the best decorative leafy ampels for landscaping balconies and terraces.
Blooming plectrantus
Blooming plectrantus (Plectranthus neochilus) Is a low ground cover plant with velvety pubescent foliage. The leaf blade is gray-green due to pubescence. In culture, variegated variation is more common. The Variegate (Dwarf Variegated) with a light wide border of the sheet. Leaves are medium-sized, rounded with slightly serrated edges. These are short bushes, usually they do not exceed 25 cm, grow a little more slowly than other species.
This type of bristle flower has the longest attractive flowering, since its spike-shaped inflorescence is denser and denser and consists of bright blue two-lipped flowers. At home and in the southern regions, the blooming bristle flower is in bloom for a long time, almost all year round. Attractive spikelets rise above the carpet of variegated leaves to a height of 15 cm and look very impressive, a little resembling the bloom of a creeping viper.
Most often this species is used as a ground cover, but it can also be used as an ampelous plant. Although, in my experience, blooming plectrantus does not grow so quickly and does not form too long ampels from the cuttings over the summer. On my balcony, this interesting delicate plant looked very good in hanging baskets in combination with pastel-colored annuals, for example, pink petunia and bacopa. In the homeland of the plant, it is believed that the plectrantus blooming with its strong and pungent smell scares away snakes from people’s homes. The smell of this type of plectrantus is almost identical to bitter wormwood.
Healing plectrantus fragrant
Tea from plectrantus is usually brewed from only one type of spur flower – aromatic plectrantus. Although it does not have such an attractive and even quite ordinary appearance, compared to its ornamental counterparts, this plant is famous for its medicinal properties, and also has some other spheres of use in everyday life.
Plectratntus fragrant, or fragrant (Plectranthus amboinicus) is distributed mainly in Tropical Africa, Asia and Australia. It is a perennial plant with thick, succulent tetrahedral stems of brown or green color and fleshy green rounded leaves with a wavy edge. It grows in the form of branchy, spreading bushes with a height of 50 to 100 cm. Sometimes this plant is also called “cubano oregano”, because its smell is very reminiscent of the spice oregano (oregano).
As a medicine, plectrantus fragrant is used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. A decoction of the leaves is primarily used for respiratory diseases, accompanied by nasal congestion, bronchitis, sore throat. It also helps with diseases of the digestive system (dysentery, diarrhea, colitis, etc.). It is believed that fragrant plectrantus can be effective in urolithiasis, and also has antiepileptic, antitumor and antimicrobial properties.
The leaves have a strong aroma and are used as a seasoning fresh or dried. Most often, the plant serves as a substitute for oregano and is suitable for filling from poultry, beef, lamb and game, it is also added to soups and pizzas.
Tasters of Plectrantus tea are divided about its taste and aroma. To some, it seems more like oregano, to others – like lemon balm, but since the plant contains a large amount of menthol, the taste of this tea is still similar to mint. At the same time, many also note a too strong menthol flavor, as well as the fact that tea from plectrantus is still inferior to tea made from real mint in taste.
To brew tea from plectrantus, you need to pick several (3-4) medium-sized leaves, pour boiling water over them, cool and add sugar to taste. Pure plectrantus tea has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect.
Attention! The plant also has contraindications. Plectrantus is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, although in India this drink is used in a small course to improve milk production. It is also better not to offer this herb to children under 12 years old. For people with sensitive skin, it is best to avoid contact with the foliage of the plectrantus as it can cause irritation. It is also better to give up the use of food for hypotensive patients and those suffering from varicose veins.
What else is plectrantus useful for?
Plectrantus can help eliminate itching and inflammation after an insect bite, for this you need to attach a mashed leaf to the bite and wrap it with a bandage. This plant secretes phytoncides, therefore, heals the air in the house, killing pathogenic bacteria. It is believed that if a plectrantus bush grows in the bedroom, then it will have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, contributing to relaxation, getting rid of anxiety and good sleep.
Plectrantus leaves in gauze bags, placed in a cabinet, are able to protect its contents from moths, since the insect does not like the smell of the plant. One of the popular names for plectranthus is “molar tree”.
Also, plectrantus is another version of the “money tree”. Many growers endow it with the ability to increase the well-being of the person who cares for it.
Caring for Plectrantus
Plectrantus requires a well-drained and fertile soil. Add some compost, crushed loose leaves, or other organic material to the soil before planting. Although the plant is quite drought tolerant, it grows best with occasional watering, especially in hot and dry weather. Pinch the plant from time to time during active growth to keep the bushes compact and dense. Although Plectrantus is relatively resistant to pests, in indoor conditions it can sometimes be affected by spider mites, whiteflies and mealybugs.
Ideally, the bristle should be grown in partial shade or mottled shade so the leaves will retain their beautiful vibrant hue. If the plant gets too much sun, its leaves turn yellow, begin to curl and look ugly. Variegated forms are more resistant to bright sunlight. Summer for plants is best spent outdoors, where bushes can grow in a flower bed, or in container compositions. At the end of summer, queen cells are taken to the room for wintering.
In the apartment, the plectrantus behaves like an ordinary houseplant, it needs to be put on a light window, and watering should be reduced. The main thing is that the temperature during the wintering of room mint does not fall below plus 10 degrees. In spring it is very easy to propagate it by cuttings that quickly take root in water.
