Plectranthus esculentus
Plectranthus esculentus
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Plectranthus esculentus is a plant of the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 700 - 1,100mm, but tolerates 550 - 1,600mm[1]. Prefers a light, rich, well-drained soil and a position in full sun or light shade[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7, tolerating 6 - 7.5[1]. The plant is very adaptable and is said to be suitable for growing in any climatic region in S. Africa[3]. Various cultivars have been developed in the different parts of tropical Africa where the plant is grown. The tubers are ready to harvest about 6 - 7 months after planting[4]. Yields of 2 - 6 tonnes per hectare have been obtained[4].
Propagation
Seed - not normally used for propagation[4]. Cuttings about 10 - 20cm long[4]. They can be difficult to root[4]. Division of sprouting tubers[4]. Bulbils. Produced in the leaf axils, these can be potted up and grown on until large enough to plant out. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Plectranthus+esculentus>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
- [3]Plectranthus: A plant for the future? — Rice L.J.; Brits G.J.; Potgieter C.J.; Van Staden J. · 2011 ↩︎A review of the Plectranthus species with potential as economic plants
- [4]Vegetables in the Tropics — Tindall. H. D. · MacMillan, Oxford. · 1983 · ISBN 0-333-24268-8 ↩︎An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
- [5]Plants of the World online — http://powo.science.kew.org/ ↩︎An on-line database giving detailed descriptions of almost 40,000 species of plants (as of 2018), almost 25,000 images and a list of almost 850,000 plant names. A truly excellent resource and still growing.
- [6]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
- [7]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
- [8]Plectranthus: A review of ethnobotanical uses — Lukhoba C.W.; Simmonds M.S.J.; Paton A.J. · 2006 ↩︎An excellent guide to the uses of Plectranthus species, giving the basic uses and the literature supporting this.
- [9]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.