Coleus sigmoideus (A.J.Paton) A.J.Paton

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Along road to Lake Kaulime, Nyika National Park

Photo: Bart Wursten
Chelinda road before Chozi turn-off, Nyika National Park

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Synonyms:	Plectranthus sigmoideus A.J. Paton
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb 20-40 cm high, with mostly unbranched, hairy stems growing from an ovoid to cylindrical tuber. Leaves sometimes concentrated towards the base of the plant, ovate, 15-40 mm long, sparsely hairy and with reddish glands; margin deeply and sometimes coarsely toothed; petiole 1-10 mm long. Inflorescence lax with 10-15-flowered clusters up to 25 mm apart; bracts cup-shaped, up to 10 mm long but only in very young inflorescences and falling quickly; pedicels 5-10 mm long. Calyx up to 6 mm long in fruit, glandular pubescent; upper lip elliptic to obovate, curving upwards; lower lip with median lobes 4-5 mm long with teeth 1 mm long. Corolla white to pale blueish-purple, 8-15 mm long, pubescent with redd sessile glands; tube s-shaped; upper lip erect, shorter than lower lip; lower lip 3-8 mm long, deeply boatshaped, enclosing the stamens.
Notes:	Plants on the Nyika Plateau tend to have larger and broader leaves than other populations.
Derivation of specific name:	sigmoideus: S-shaped, referring to the shape of the flower tube.
Habitat:	In grassland and woodland.
Altitude range:	1200 - 2300 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	DRC, southern Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
Malawi distribution:	N
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Wednesday 2 October 2019
Literature:	Paton, A.J. et al. (2013). Lamiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 8(8) Pages 270 - 271. as Plectranthus sigmoideus (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Coleus sigmoideus:

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Flora of Zambia: Coleus sigmoideus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Coleus sigmoideus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Coleus sigmoideus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Coleus sigmoideus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Coleus sigmoideus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Coleus sigmoideus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Coleus sigmoideus
JSTOR Plant Science: Coleus sigmoideus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Coleus sigmoideus
Plants of the World Online: Coleus sigmoideus
Tropicos: Coleus sigmoideus
Wikipedia: Coleus sigmoideus