Species · genus Plectranthus · Lamiaceae

Whorled Plectranthus

Plectranthus verticillatus (L.f.) Druce

Also known as: Gossip Spurflower · Swedish Ivy

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Cape Provinces, Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Northern Provinces

Reference · P. verticillatus

Cultivars of P. verticillatus

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. verticillatus 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 trailing southern African subshrub in the mint family, with soft, semi-succulent leaves that hold some water and resent staying wet. Give it bright, indirect light and let the top inch of mix dry before watering, then water deeply. It tolerates ordinary household humidity and dislikes soggy, poorly drained soil.

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

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–26 °C

Soil mix

Standard well-draining potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings root almost effortlessly

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed every 4 to 6 weeks in the growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Sprays of small white-and-purple flowers; easy trailing houseplant

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: 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 Whorled Plectranthus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.