Cuban oregano - Plectranthus amboinicus

The Plectranthus amboinicus, renamed Coleus amboinicus, is known as Cuban Oregano or Big Thyme in the Caribbean. It is a perennial and tender aromatic plant, commonly found in the wild in Africa, India, or the Caribbean, cultivated as an annual in our climates. It forms a shrub with fleshy stems bearing succulent, thick, and fuzzy leaves, ranging from light green to greyish-green. They release a fresh and pungent aroma, reminiscent of oregano or thyme. It is grown in pots or in the ground as an annual, and its leaves are harvested from April to November. The leaves are used fresh or dried, in cooking or as a herbal tea, for their aromatic or medicinal properties.

The Plectranthus amboinicus belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial plant native to southern and eastern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and India, where it grows in woodlands or coastal shrubs, on rocky slopes and sandy or loamy plains at low altitudes. The plant was later introduced to Europe, then from Spain to the Americas. The Coleus amboinicus forms a shrub that can reach 1 m in height in the wild. When grown here, it will not exceed 40 cm in height. Its fleshy stems are hairy and highly branched. They bear numerous opposite leaves, oval to rounded in shape, with finely crenate margins. They are thick and pubescent, with the underside having the most glandular hairs, giving them a frosted appearance. The aroma of the leaves can be described as a pungent combination of oregano, thyme, and turpentine scents. The taste of the leaves is described as similar to oregano but with a pungent flavour reminiscent of mint. The flowers bloom in late summer, on a short, pale purple stem, in dense whorls of flowers on a long, thin spike-shaped raceme. The plant is frost-sensitive.

The Plectranthus amboinicus is also known as Indian Mint or Ear. It is sometimes confused with Lippia micromera or Antillean Thyme. It thrives in poor, dry, well-drained soil, in sunny or partially shaded positions during hot weather. Cut leafy stem sections as needed. When not used for its aromatic properties in cooking, for marinades, soups, and fish for example, it is attributed medicinal properties for digestive issues, respiratory conditions, flu-like symptoms, or disturbed sleep.