What is Plektranthus?
Plectranthus is a genus of plants that is part of the Lamiaceae family. It contains about 350 types of annual and permanent shrubs that come from Africa, Australia and the Pacific. Plants have hairy leaves with white edges and small flowers. These plants are ideal for borders, hanging baskets or containers. Some problems with planting plants in the family plectranthus include pests, especially from mealybugs and fungal diseases such as leaf spot.
The name of the genus is derived from the Greek words plectron and anthos , which mean "promontory" and "flower". The general name for these plants is Spurflower. Several species have variations on the common name. For example, Plectranthus Argentatus is known as Silver Spurfflower, while Plectranthus Madagascariensis is called the variegated Mint List.m Africa to the Pacific Ocean. p. Amboinicus grows in the southern and eastern parts of Africa, while s. Australis comes from Australia. p. mAdagascariensis is distributed in South Africa and Madagascar. It is an evergreen shrub that has a spread or end form. The leaves consist of gray-green leaves that are colorful. Variegated leaves have stripes or stains above the green color. On the edges are usually gray white spots on a mint leaf, but some leaves have a center.
This plant grows best into a well -draining soil that is fertile and either clay or sandy. The soil can be either acidic or alkaline, because a varied leaf of mint can prosper in both. In addition, the area in which it is planted should be protected from the wind and partially overshadowed from the Sun.
Most species within the Plectranthus genus are susceptible to mealybug damage that are segmented, oval insects that are covered with white wax. They infect each part of the plant, from roots to leaves. Mealybugs leaves the rest that resemblesWax candles on branches. Mold spores are attracted by the rest and generally cover whole branches.
Another problem that can affect these plants is the stain of leaves, which is a fungal disease that produces brown or black spots. It causes the leaves to turn up and eventually drop. The use of fungicide on the plant can prevent the spread of the fungus.