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Plectranthus neochilus
Place in sun or partial shade.
Can be watered as a classic houseplant.
Supposedly can tolerate -12.2 °C in the short term. However, the plant is not hardy.
The epithet "neochilus" translates to new lips. The name refers to the flowers.
Plectranthus neochilus is also known as Coleus neochilus, lobster bush, or mosquito bush. It is native to the wilds of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The leaves are fleshy, grey-green, slightly hairy and slightly sticky with a pleasant scent. The ovate to elliptic leaves with serrated margins are 5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. The shrubby succulent with semi-upright to upright stems grows up to 50 cm tall and 60 cm wide.
The flowers are bluish-purple, tubular with a short upper lip and a long, boat-shaped lower lip. They reach up to 2 cm in length and appear in terminal racemes during spring and late autumn. The grapes can grow up to 15 cm in length.
Plectranthus neochilus is an undemanding plant that is drought tolerant. It does not need any fertilisation. The ornamental flowers are not the only attraction, as the stem and leaves smell fresh and thanks to its unpretentiousness it can be grown by anyone.