Family: Lamiaceae

Common names: spur flower, Mona Lavender (Eng.); muishondblaar (Afr.)

Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ is a hybrid developed at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that is becoming a hit around the world!
There are many Plectranthus species that are used as ornamental herbaceous plants for the garden, not only in South Africa, but all around the world. Most of these come from the more subtropical/tropical areas of southern Africa. They come in a number of shapes and colour forms ranging from white, through pink to dark mauves and lavenders. Being so easy to propagate from cuttings, they are readily shared amongst keen gardeners and are one of the few plants that grow well in shade.

Description
‘Mona Lavender’ is a quick-growing, herbaceous, perennial shrub reaching up to 0.75 m in height, forming a lovely, rounded, dense bush.
It has dark green, glossy leaves with intensely purple undersides and sprays of lavender flowers dashed with purple markings.
It flowers very unpredictably, but does well in shortened daylight, which starts in autumn, but depending on how old the plant is and how much it has been pinched back, flowering can be extended right into early summer.
Derivation of name and historical facts