Hairy Spurflower

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Hairy Spurflower
• Vicks Plant

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Plectranthus hadiensis
• Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus
• Plectranthus horridus
• Plectranthus zatarhendi var. tomentosus
• Plectranthus ramosior
• Coleus zeylanicus
• Plectranthus hadiensis var. woodii
• Plectranthus zatarhendi var. woodii
• Plectranthus woodii
• Plectranthus zeylanicus
• Plectranthus madagascariensis var. ramosior
• Plectranthus paucicrenatus
• Plectranthus rupestris
• Plectranthus tomentosus
• Plectranthus cyaneus
• Plectranthus draconis
• Plectranthus erlangeri
• Plectranthus fragrans
• Plectranthus hararensis
• Ocimum hadiense
• Germanea horrida
• Coleus personatus
• Coleus schweinfurthii
• Plectranthus petrensis

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae, the order Lamiales, and the family Lamiaceae. Finally, its taxonomic hierarchy concludes with its classification under the genus Coleus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution across several regions of the African continent. In Northern Africa, its presence is specifically noted within the borders of Egypt. Moving toward West-Central Tropical Africa, the species can be found inhabiting Rwanda and the DR Congo. The plant also extends into Northeast Tropical Africa, where it grows in Chad. Finally, its range reaches the easternmost point of Djibouti within the Northeast Tropical region.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Coleus hadiensis is characterized by a broad altitudinal distribution that allows it to inhabit diverse montane and lowland environments. This species demonstrates significant ecological plasticity, occupying a wide vertical gradient that begins at low-lying areas as low as 30 m AMSL and extends to high-altitude habitats reaching a maximum of 2195 m AMSL. This extensive elevational range suggests that the plant is capable of adapting to varying temperature regimes, atmospheric pressures, and moisture levels found across different topographical strata. Such a wide distribution indicates its ability to thrive in both humid tropical lowlands and more temperate, montane ecosystems within its native range.

Elevational range max:

2195 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

30 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Coleus hadiensis is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. In terms of its structural growth habit and survival strategy, the plant is classified as a chamaephyte, a life form where the ascending or decumbent shoots are located close to the ground, typically with the buds positioned just above the soil surface. This chamaephyte designation, noted through both its primary and secondary life form classifications, dictates its ability to withstand varying environmental conditions by maintaining its regenerative capacity near the substrate.

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Coleus hadiensis is characterized by a herbaceous growth form, appearing as a non-woody herb. It functions as an independent organism, neither acting as a parasite nor an epiphyte, maintaining a terrestrial existence. The plant displays a versatile growth habit, exhibiting both self-supporting structures and vine-like climbing tendencies. In terms of stature, it reaches a minimum height of 0.5 m, with a mean plant height of approximately 0.7 m, and can attain a maximum height of up to 1.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

vine

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.5 m

Plant height mean:

0.7 m

Plant height min:

0.5 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Reproduction

The reproduction of Coleus hadiensis is characterized by the production of highly uniform seeds, which play a critical role in the plant's life cycle and propagation potential. Detailed morphological analysis reveals that the seed mass is remarkably consistent across all observed samples, exhibiting no variance in weight. Specifically, the seed mass mean is recorded at 0.00034 g, a value that is mirrored by both the maximum and minimum seed mass measurements of 0.00034 g. This extreme uniformity in seed mass suggests a highly stabilized reproductive mechanism, ensuring that each individual seed possesses an identical nutrient reserve to support early germination and seedling establishment.

Seed mass mean:

0.00034 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Activities

Coleus hadiensis has 2 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial, Disinfectant.

Antimicrobial

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Disinfectant

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Coleus hadiensis has 5 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include extracts, extracts prepared with dichloromethane, extracts prepared with n-hexane, lipophilic extracts, methanolic extracts.

Extracts

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Extracts prepared with dichloromethane

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Extracts prepared with n-hexane

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Lipophilic extracts

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Methanolic extracts

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM