My Coleus looks like Coleus Henna - Coleus Names?

FILE PICTURE OF COLEUS HENNA from Ball Horticultural
( see reference 1)

PICTURE 1. Ideal coloration of Coleus Henna, light green leaves, burgundy underside.



PICTURE 2. Coleus Henna under grow lights. Note the burgundy coloration instead of green? What's gonna happen if I put this in full sun?

PICTURE 3. My overwintered coleus henna, picture taken by my Blackberry Curve.
Note that some leaves showed splashing colors instead of pure green.

COLEUS HENNA

( colors for the shaded part of your garden )

The basics: Very uniform with serrated foliage in a unique chartreuse to copper color complemented by dark burgundy undersides.


At the end of fall 2011, I was busy collecting coleus cuttings from friends. I thought it would be nice to have something to look after while my garden is covered in snow by winter.

It is really hard to verify whether the name of my coleus is right. There is no society governing its name, and coleus sport and reverse without warning.

However, I conclude that I can name my coleus base on its look-alike. If I a wrong, then please correct me.

One of the coleus cuttings i got is Coleus Henna. It was a tag from Presidents Choice (Loblaws) labeled - Solenostemon hybrida - Coleus Henna.

Ray Rogers published a book, Coleus: Rainbow foliage for containers and gardens in 2008. There was no mention of this cultivar. My guess, this must be new, or not attractive enough to be put in the book.

Looking online, I found more information about coleus henna.

1. Ball Horticultural Company of Chicago, IL (1)

The picture of Coleus Henna in Ball Horticultural website showed this data for coleus henna:

Scientific Name : Solenostemon hybrida

Common Name : Coleus

Hardiness Degree : 32°F (0.0°C)

Plant Habit : Mounded, Upright

Spacing : 16 - 20" (41 - 51cm)

Height : 22 - 28" (56 - 71cm)

Width : 14 - 16" (36 - 41cm)

Exposure : Partial Sun

Grower Information : A Simply Beautiful® selection.
Stunning colors and patterns for full sun and shade. • Premium series is excellent for landscaping. • Fast and easy to grow for high impact at retail.

"Selected for their outstanding performance and vigor, our premium coleus collection is well-matched for habit, with a variety of textures and contrasts. These low-maintenance plants make a high-impact addition to large pot programs. Selected for their outstanding performance and vigor, our premium coleus collection is well-matched for habit, with a variety of textures and contrasts. These low-maintenance plants make a high-impact addition to large pot programs. Very uniform with serrated foliage in a unique chartreuse to copper color complemented by dark burgundy undersides. Protection Information : 'Balcenna' PP19,149"

Because it has "protection information", I would say I would be thinking this is a patented plant, so selling and exchange of this plant is NOT allowed. Well, correct me if I am wrong, there maybe more explanation to this phrase.

While I thought this is an introduction of Ball Horticultural, another website tells me that Coleus henna is new, and from Costa Rica.
2. The picture of Coleus Henna in White Flower farm website:

White Flower Farm of Connecticut has the following information: (2) "An introduction from Costa Rica, Coleus Henna features attractively toothed, chartreuse to copper leaves, all surprisingly uniform from one to the next. The leaves curl upward and expose their showy burgundy undersides. A medium-size, upright variety, Henna looks well bedded out or combined with purple, oranges, or other hot shades. 'Balcenna' PP 19,149"

If you note above, in bold, italic red, the protection information is the same, so base on this cross reference, I can infer that these two websites were talking about the same plant.

3. Park Brothers Farm in Arkansas (3) wrote this coleus as a sun coleus which means this can tolerate sun exposure despite Coleus is primarily known as shade plant. Note that this website did not have plant protection number noted, but base on the picture, the plant is looks similar in appearance.

4. Mischels Greenhouses in Williamsburg, Michigan (4) wrote that a suggestion to try this one as a houseplant. Now, this overwintering hobby of mine might be able to tell you if this is good houseplant or not. Will coloration stays the same under low light in a home?

5. Southern Living Magazine(5) issue 2009 named Coleus Henna as one of the"8 Great Plants You Gotta Grow!"

So having read these references , I will show you a picture of my over-wintered coleus henna in the basement. PICTURES 1 -3.

Will this grow to be a sun coleus?
Will this plant become an amazing houseplant?
Will she grow into a lovely specimen this summer?



What i find this plant amazing is that the underside of its leaves is burgundy and the outer left is green. It is an amazing combination for a a coleus, so I am so excited what this little plant brings to my garden this coming gardening season.

I will update this blog soon. I will try the houseplant idea from the cuttings I have and see what it looks like in few months?


REFERENCES:
1. Ball Horticultural Company, Chicago, IL, USA, http://www.ballhort.com/Growers/plant_info.aspx?phid=018000001019835, webaAccessed 9 feb 2012
2. White Flower Farm , Connecticut, USA, http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/71352-product.html, web accessed 9 feb, 2012
3. Park Brothers Farm , Arkansas, USA, http://www.parkswholesaleplants.com/spring-plants/annuals-ai/coleus-sun-henna/, web accessed, 9 feb 2012
4. Mischels Greenhouse, Michigan, USA, http://www.mischelsgreenhouses.com/Designer-Collection-Coleus-Henna_p_378.html, web accessed, 9 feb 2012
5. Southern Living Magazine,Birmingham, Alabama, USA, http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/8-great-plants-00400000045246/page8.html, web accessed, 9 feb 2012