Plectranthus ambiguus

Plectranthus ambiguus is a spreading herbaceous plant growing from a woody rootstock to heights from 60 cm to 1,2 m. Branching from the base, its hairy stems root freely from nodes.

The sparsely hairy leaves are broadly ovate, tapering to the tip and broadly tapering to the base. Leaf margins are scalloped in the upper parts, entire near the base. Leaf dimensions are 2,5 cm to 12 cm by 2 cm to 9 cm.

Four to six lateral veins ascend from the leaf midrib, curving inwards in rounded shapes towards the tip and joining each other slightly away from the margins. Conspicuous, reticulated net-veining adds to the quilted appearance of the leaf, the venation recessed on the upper leaf surfaces. Brownish gland dots are visible on lower leaf surfaces.

The congested stem tip inflorescences become up to 17 cm long, comprising many purple flowers with straight tubes in autumn. The calyx has small, pointed lobes, the corolla is two-lipped, the style far exserted.

The species distribution is coastal in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as inland in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The habitat is forest margins in partial shade. The plant is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.plantzafrica.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).