The name Coleus is not so familiar to middle Westerners because to most it is the Foliage Plant or even called by some, “Foliages.” The rich coloring of the leaves made it a favorite in Grandmothers time and even today no window box or urn seems complete without at least one plant of Trailing Queen.
This little trailing variety may be had in three distinct colors, all three having a green border, but classed as cream, or pink, or maroon according to the center blotch. Another small leaved trailing variety in solid maroon color is called Rehneltiana.
Other named varieties of coleus are not so well known nor so easily indentified, because colors tend to vary slightly according to season and growing conditions. Also, many seedlings and unnamed varieties are so lovely that the older named sorts have been pushed into the background.
However, when considering color changes, I doubt if it can be proved that any coleus permanently changes color. It has sometimes been stated that the white and lighter colored leaves revert to green. Bailey says that light and food are the predominating factors contributing to richness of leaf coloring; usually plenty of light being required to give well colored specimen’s. Too much sun may have the opposite effect and tend to fade some colors. However, once a variegated leaf, always a vargiagated leaf, too little light and poor food may dull or pale the leaf colors, but it can never become a normal green leaf.
There is a variety of coleus, without name as far as I know, with an almost pure white leaf only a border of green. Young new leaves may appear creamy or yellowish but they will soon become white. Green and white coleus are rarer than the varieties with red predominating, but a specimen plant of the deeply fringed and ruffled white is much prized as a house plant.
Golden bedder is an old favorite for a yellow coleus to plant in the yard as a foil to show up deeper colored varieties. Yellow Bird can hardly be distinguished from it, but is supposed to be true yellow rather than chartreuse. Hollywood is a yellow and red orange variety with deeply laciniated leaves that fade toward the base of the plant, to a lovely tan.
The coleus called Butterfly by some growers has a variety of markings and colors on a light background, but gets its name, I believe, from the shape of the leaves, opposite pairs of which bear striking resemblance to the wide spread wings of a butterfly.
Pluto is an old variety but its bright red center blotch and wide green margin makes it appear More Christmasy, I think, than Christmas Gem which is a more yellow red with yellow in the margin. This same color combination can be had in the giant leaved varieties called by Bally, Ornatus, but simply New Giant Christmas Gem by most growers. These large varieties, sometimes with leaves measuring one foot in length, are all right for outdoor growing but most of us do not have room for house plants that size.
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