Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides
Also called Painted nettle and Plectranthus scutellarioides
Houseplant · Patterned foliagePinch the flower spikes off as they come. Let it bloom and it stops making leaves.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 4 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.75 m tall · 0.75 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Southeast Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
No animal-poison authority lists this plant. Flagged unsafe on a people-toxicity source, which is the cautious reading rather than a checked one.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A pale blue-mauve spike pushes out of a shoot tip and the leaves behind it get smaller — pinch the spike out or the plant spends itself on seed and goes lanky.Flowering · disorder
- White cotton specks in the square stem's leaf joints, and a sticky gloss on the leaf beneath.Mealybug · pest