| General Description | The flowers, fuzzy texture of the leaves, and fragrance are just bonuses to this beautiful semi-succulent shrub. The stunning colouring of Plectranthus glabratus stands out, with the green leaves that can vary, compounded with the white along the margins, with some purple occasionally showing among the leaves. |
| ID Characteristic | Fuzzy green leaves and white edging. Scent is fairly fragrant, almost minty. Grows fairly bushy with vines and can produce flowers. |
| Shape | This shrub starts out fairly rounded and bushy, however as the plant grows and matures the shoots or vines create more of an irregular shape. |
| Landscape | Though this plant has very lovely flowers when it blooms, it is not typically the reason it is planted. It is grown primarily for the foliage, and is good for dense ground coverage or as a hanging plant. It has drought resistance, humidity resistance, and typically is pest and
disease free. Swedish ivy is also great at naturalizing, the flowers attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. It is lovely as a house plant or can also be suitable as an annual within an outdoor garden. |
| Propagation | For the seeds you will need to start them indoors, approximately 6 to 8 weeks after the last frost of the spring. Once you are ready, plant your seeds shallow in the soil (approximately 0.3-0.6 cm deep), keeping the soil moist and warm at roughly room temperature (21 to 24C). Must provide light for a minimum of 8 to 16 hours a day, with at least 8 hours of dark.
The seedlings should then start to emerge after 7 to 14 days and once they have emerged
can be repotted 6 to 8 weeks later. Additionally the Plectranthus glabratus can be easily propagated through stem cuttings.
You can take cuttings from healthy steams 7-10 cm, then remove the lower leaves, and
place cuttings in a glass of water or damp potting mix. Roots will then start to form in a
matter of weeks and will then be able to transplant into a bigger pot if need be (Nelson,
2023). It is also recommended not to use any growth hormones on cuttings as it has been
seen to typically cause root rot |
| Cultivation | Cultivation is fairly easy and requires no extraordinary treatment. Plectranthus enjoys well-composed soils and can thrive in soils with a pH of 6.1, and it is somewhat pollution tolerant. Ideally planted in the shade of trees, as it prefers semi shade. Generally shallow roots that enjoy sufficient watering, although it does store water within the stem to make it resistant to prolonged droughts. It is considered frost tender but due to it growing in shady protected areas, it is provided some protection from frost. Once a plant has been established for a year or more it will become woodier at the base, making it more resistant to frost. Because flowers do not bloom until closer to the end of the growing season, frost does not affect them. |
| Pests | Pests are not typically a problem for Swedish ivy, although whiteflies, aphids, and red spider mites can appear during the summer months.
Swedish ivy is susceptible to fungal diseases like leaf spot, stem rot, and root rot. These could result in loss of the plant, but are able to be treated or avoided. |
| Notable Specimens | The only places to view this stunning plant is either in its natural habitats, for example parts of South India, within some garden shops, or a home garden (indoor and outdoor). |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Thick velvety stem with a purple and green colour to it. The plant tends to remain the same in appearance all year round with stems that can store water. Sparsely downy with both long and short hairs and branches up to 60 cm long. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Plump rounded buds, greenish in colour and about 0.2 cm in size. |
| Leaf Description | Scalloped glossy leaves approximately 0.5 cm length x 0.8 cm width as they start. Once leaves are mature they are approximately 5.5 cm length x 4 cm width. Ovate, down or hairy, lower surface glandular, green with irregular creamy white colouring around the margins. Venation is acurate, petiole 3.5 cm. Before leaves mature they can start out reversed in colour, where it will have more green around the margins and white in the middle, appearing even glossier. |
| Flower Description | Small white or pink showy spur shaped flowers (hence another nickname Spur Flower). Consists of 5 petals and blooms approximately 2.5 cm in size, attracting butterflies and bees. Only blooms in fall or in late summer. |
| Fruit Description | Produces nutlets 0.7-1 mm in size, dark brown colouring, shiny, almost spherical. |
| Colour Description | The thick stem is green and purple in appearance, although closer to the base would be more woody or brown. The leaves are green with white edges, and at times some purple will be among leaf edges. The green on the leaves can vary as well, some even become only a few shades of green as opposed to with the white edging, while creating almost a stained
glass effect of greens. The flowers produced can be either white or a soft light pink. |
| Texture Description | The leaves themselves are fleshy, while the surface is slightly fuzzy and soft in texture. The stem also has a fuzzy and soft feeling but is much more dense. It remains the same throughout the year as it is typically an annual. |