Coleus ‘Kong® Lime Sprite’ 

Coleus scutellarioides

KO-lee-us  skew-tell-ar-ee-OH-ih-deez

SYN.

Plectranthus scutellarioides

SYN.

Solenostemon scutellarioides

Coleus scutellarioides (L.) Benth. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Coleus. It was named and described as such by George Bentham in Plantae Asiaticae Rariores in 1830. It was first named and described as Ocimum scutellarioides by Carl von Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

To read the research document published on Phytokeys, “Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera” by Alan J. Patton and others”, click HERE. I think this is the document presented to make the name changes. 

The two most common synonyms that plants are still sold under are Plectranthus scutellarioides and Solenostemon scutellarioides. 

Now a synonym, Plectranthus scutellarioides (L.) R.Br. was described as such by Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae in 1810.

Now a synonym, Solenostemon scutellarioides (L.) Codd was described by Leslie Edward Wastell Codd in Bothalia in 1975.

The genus, Coleus Lour., was named and described as such by João de Loureiro in Flora Cochinchinensis in 1790.

As of 12-19-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 301 species in the Coleus genus. It is a member of the plant family Lamiaceae with 232 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

I brought the Coleus ‘Kong® Lime Sprite’ home on May 21, 2015, from Wagler’s Greenhouse. It was an AWESOME sight right from the start. Kong® is a registered trademark of the Ball Horticultural Company. Their website states that ‘Lime Sprite’ has a mounded, upright growth habit to 18-20” tall and a width of 15-20”. I think mine grew taller than 20″.  I guess I need to start measuring the plants again.

As with all Coleus in the Kong series, they prefer grown in part sun to full shade. According to Ball, they perform their best in full shade. I transplanted mine in the bed along the north side of the house where it received a little morning sun and some again in the late afternoon.

All Coleus, they require regular watering to look their best. Remember if you grow your Coleus in pots they will require more watering.

Although the Kong® series freely branches out on its own and is slow to produce flowers, once they do appear they should be pinched off.

By October the Coleus ‘Kong® Lime Sprite’ began to show signs of age. The decreasing day length and cooler night temperatures are a sign that the end is near. The color is starting to fade and it had been requiring more pinching.

My Coleus ‘Kong® Lime Sprite’ was certainly a top performer. I give it a five gold star rating for color, strong growth, heat tolerance, etc. Perfect in every sense!

You can read my Coleus scutellarioides page by clicking HERE for more information and a list of all the Coleus I have grown.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know. Of course, you can always send me an email at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
PHYTOKEYS
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
GARDENING KNOW HOW