Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ 

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.

Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ was my first of the series. I purchased my plant from Lowe’s in Greenville, Mississippi in 2009 while living at the mansion in Leland.

Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ grows to a height of around 18-20 inches and a width of around 15-18”. They require part to full shade and too much sun can burn their leaves.

Believe me, Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ is a strong and sturdy grower and you can take cuttings and spread them around…

When cooler temps started coming, I dug up a couple of the Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ plants and put them in pots to overwinter in the sunroom. On warmer days I would put my plants on the front porch. It was 40′ long so it held a lot of plants. This plant was 16″ tall when this photo was taken on 12-18-09.

I made a new bed close to the entry of the den in the backyard in 2010. It received an ample amount of morning sun and was shaded by the Ligustrum and Magnolia tree (and the mansion) in the afternoon.

I managed to overwinter my Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ with cuttings and plants over two winters but they didn’t make it over the 2011-2012 winter. I learned a lot about overwintering Coleus and found out that taking cuttings is the best way to go. If you are lucky you can save plants, but larger plants brought inside can develop blackleg which will eventually kill them.

Kong® is a registered trademark of the Ball Horticultural Company. Coleus ˜Kong® Scarlet’ was patented under the name ‘Kakegawa CE13’ US PVP200500016.

Overall, I give the Coleus ‘Kong® Scarlet’ a five gold star rating for performance. heat tolerance, strong and sturdy growth, maintenance, color, etc. Everything you would want from a Coleus!

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