FEATURES/ORIGINFeatures/Origin

When we think of fragrant succulent Plectranthus, Aromaticus usually comes to mind. But this one has narrower, smoother leaves and an overall cooler vibe. If you touch the leaves, you'll notice a crisp, aromatic scent rather like rosemary (it might be a bit milder than Aromaticus, but that may depend on how it was grown).

Given how affordable and common it is in nurseries, you'd think this plant is a widely recognized staple, but it's actually a bit of a mystery. It's often listed as Plectranthus sarcostemmoides or under the scientific name P. sp. Kenya , but neither of these are official, so its true identity remains unclear. The binomial simply means "some kind of Plectranthus from Kenya," which doesn't tell us much. As for sarcostemmoides, there's no such recognized Plectranthus (though there are rumors that plants called sarcostemmoides exist in Crassula and Euphorbia). Sarcostemmoides means "like Sarcostemma," but what exactly is Sarcostemma? With some digging, you’ll find there’s a genus called Sarcostemma in the Apocynaceae family (milkweeds), but it’s nothing like this plant.

So, what now? Changing tack, I searched for similar Plectranthus varieties, and quickly came across P. tenuiflorus . It looks almost identical. So perhaps...