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Plectranthus amboinicus
Also called Mexican mint, Cuban Oregano, Indian Borage, French Thyme, Indian Mint, Spanish Thyme, Country Borage
Coleus amboinicus is a fleshy, semi-succulent perennial herb in the mint family, prized for its oregano-like leaves. It grows easily from stem cuttings in a well-drained spot, and it is frost tender, so it is often kept in pots and brought indoors in cooler climates.
Coleus amboinicus is a species of semi-succulent perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It has a pungent oregano-like flavor and odor. Coleus amboinicus is considered to be native to parts of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India, although it is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in the tropics where it is used as a spice and ornamental plant. Common names in English include Indian borage, country borage, French thyme, Indian mint, Mexican mint, Cuban oregano, broad leaf thyme, soup mint, Spanish thyme.
The species epithet, amboinicus refers to Ambon Island, in Indonesia. In 1747, 45 years after his death, a volume written by Georg Eberhard Rumphius was published, including the plants he called Marrubium album Amboinicum, with the local name Daun hati hati. He had encountered them in Ambon and the Banda Islands, both cultivated in gardens and growing wild.
Coleus amboinicus is a fast-growing plant commonly grown in gardens and indoors in pots. Propagation is by stem cuttings, but it can also be grown from seeds. In dry climates the herb grows easily in a well-drained, semi-shaded position. It is frost tender (USDA hardiness zones 10–11) and grows well in subtropical and tropical locations, but will do well in cooler climates if grown in a pot and brought indoors, or moved to a warm, sheltered position in winter. In Hawaii and other humid tropical locations, the plant requires full sun. It can be harvested throughout the growing season to be used fresh, dried, or frozen.
Coleus amboinicus is native to Southern and Eastern Africa, (from South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal) and Eswatini to Angola and Mozambique and north to Kenya and Tanzania) the Arabian Peninsula and India, where it grows in woodland or coastal bush, on rocky slopes and loamy or sandy flats at low elevations. The plant was later brought to Europe, and then from Spain to the Americas, hence the name Spanish thyme.
The leaves are strongly flavored. The herb is used as a substitute for oregano to mask the strong odors and flavors of fish, mutton, and goat. It may be batter-fried to make pakodas or rasam. In the Caribbean, leaves are commonly used when seasoning meats for its pungent aroma.
Common Thicket Spurflower · Hullworts · Coleus argentatus · Coleus barbatus · Coleus maculosus subsp. edulis · Coleus esculentus · Coleus rotundifolius · Coleus scutellarioides · Hullworts
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Coleus amboinicus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
