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Plectranthus ecklonii
Ecklon spurflower (Plectranthus ecklonii) is a fast-growing, semi-succulent aromatic shrub from South African forest margins, grown for its profuse blue, white or pink flowers. It does best in partial shade with regular moisture and is often replaced with fresh cuttings because older plants become woody and straggly.
Plectranthus ecklonii, commonly known as tall spurflower and Ecklon spurflower, is a shrub from the mint family Lamiaceae, native to South Africa. The habitat includes forest or shaded situations near the coast.
The plant is used for its profuse display of flowers, which can bloom in the first year after planting, and also for its fast growth in the garden. It can tolerate mild frost, but not severe ones where it can die off. It is easily propagated by cuttings, as it can root readily in soil. It can thrive from mulching and the occasional fertilizer. It tends to look more attractive when it is replaced by new cuttings (since it gets straggly and woody after a few years). During severe drought, it can wilt, but will rejuvenate after rainfall.
Three cultivars of the plant exist:
The plant is found in damp, coastal subtropical and temperate forest and margins of such forests in partly shaded areas. It is generally found in the understorey at forest margins or on wooded creek banks. It found in areas where the precipitation falls mainly during summer, with totals of 1, 000 to 1, 750 mm per annum.
Pincushion Spurflower · Speckled spur flower · Forest Spurflower · Plectranthus hadiensis · Brazilian Coleus · Cliff Spurflower · Stoep Jacaranda · Dwarf Spurflower · Whorled plectranthus · Spurflowers
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Plectranthus ecklonii 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
