Species · genus Plectranthus · Lamiaceae
Ecklon Spurflower
Plectranthus ecklonii Benth.
Cultivars of P. ecklonii
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under P. ecklonii yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
A South African spurflower
Plectranthus ecklonii is a shrub in the mint family, Lamiaceae, known in cultivation under names such as 'Erma' and 'tall blue'. It belongs to a genus that gathers annuals, evergreen perennials and shrubs with paired, often heart-shaped leaves and two-lipped tubular flowers held in whorled spikes.
Source: RHS
Native to southern Africa
This species is native to South Africa, recorded across the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces, where it grows as a shrub in the subtropical biome. It has also been carried further afield, becoming introduced in the North Island of New Zealand and on St Helena. It was first published by Bentham in 1848.
Source: Kew
Whorled flowers, paired leaves
As a member of Plectranthus, this plant carries opposite, ovate to heart-shaped leaves that can be somewhat fleshy. Its two-lipped, tubular flowers are arranged in whorls that build into spikes or panicles, a structure typical of the genus rather than unique to this species alone.
Source: RHS
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 12 days
Medium
10–25 °C
Fertile, well-draining potting mix
Stem cuttings rooted in water or mix
Balanced feed monthly through the growing season
Fast
Showy upright spikes of blue-mauve flowers in autumn
Not yet documented
This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
PrimarySources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Ecklon Spurflower yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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