Coleus amboinicus Lour.
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Coleus amboinicus

Family: LAMIACEAE
Genus: Coleus
Species: amboinicus Lour.
Common names: African thyme
Distribution summary: Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: H1c - Heated greenhouse; warm temperate
Habitat: Rocky areas in sparse forests, grassland and open bushland
Garden status: Currently grown
Garden location: Southern Hemisphere Wolfson bed (N), Plants in pots (POT)
Reason for growing: Medicinal

Additional Notes

Traditional medicinal uses: The fresh leaves of Coleus amboinicus are widely utilized both as a medicinal plant and as a herb or spice providing flavour to food (meat and poultry dishes), especially in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, where it is grown in kitchen gardens and containers and it is used the same way as thyme, hence some of the common names (Van Wyk, B-E. 2005. Food plants of the World. Briza Publications).

www.plantzafrica.com https://pza.sanbi.org/coleus-amboinicus

Africa, East Tropical Africa, Kenya

Africa, Southern Africa

Asia-Temperate, Arabian Peninsula

Asia-Tropical, Indian Subcontinent

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