{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{For|the plant incorrectly known as "Coleus canina"|Coleus comosus}} {{Speciesbox |image =Coleus caninus kz02.jpg |image_caption = |genus = Coleus |species = caninus |authority = (Roth) Vatke<ref name=POWO_445934-1/> |synonyms = {{Species list |Majana canina|(Roth) Kuntze |Plectranthus caninus|Roth }} |synonyms_ref = <ref name=POWO_445934-1/> }}
'''''Coleus caninus''''', synonym '''''Plectranthus caninus''''', also called '''dogbane''', '''piss-off plant'''<ref>{{citation |title=Plectranthus Species, Cat Repellent Plant, Dogs Be Gone, Piss-Off Plant, Scaredy Cat Plant|website=Dave's Garden|url=https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76035 |access-date=2025-06-22 }}</ref> and '''scaredy-cat plant''',<ref>{{citation |title=Coleus caninus|website=Gardeners World|publisher= Immediate Media Company Limited|url=https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/coleus-caninus/ |access-date=2025-06-22 }}</ref> is a herb from the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Africa from Angola to Sudan and to India and Myanmar.<ref name=POWO_445934-1/>
==Description== thumb|left|Cultivar with red tinged leaves
It is a perennial herb covered in small hairs that features narrow, obovate leaves that are approximately 3–4 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, with semi-erect branches. The pale blue-purple flowers have a succulent and tubular appearance, where the petals then open on the tall inflorescence spike.<ref name=dog>{{citation |title=Dogbane |website=Mudbrick Herb Cottage|url=https://www.herbcottage.com.au/products/dogbane?srsltid=AfmBOooLnQprdFxjHpt5-a6E4f1GTPfRChRm5lsELQKqVZqqdDhJWgRQ |access-date=2025-06-22 }}</ref>
Both the leaves and flowers of the plant are sticky to the touch and have an odor similar to ''Eucalyptus'' that some animals find unpleasant, deterring both insect infection and grazing by larger animals.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
==Distribution== It is native to southern and eastern Africa and South Asia: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.<ref name=POWO_445934-1/>
==Cultivation== The plant is supposed to scare off cats and dogs who may smell the aroma on the intact leaves and be repelled, hence its common name, though there is no scientific evidence to show that these claims are factual. An attempt to register "''Coleus canina''" to receive plant variety protection failed as it was considered to be only a clone of ''Coleus comosus'' (synonym ''Plectranthus ornatus'').<ref name=Wink04/>
These plants root easily from cuttings, tolerating mild drought conditions and full sun to part shade. Too much shade causes the stems to become leggy, as they stretch up to look for the sunlight, while the foliage lags behind. It does not tolerate frost and it prefers moist soils, though when established it can tolerate drier conditions.<ref name=dog/>
==Subspecies== Two subspecies have been described:<ref name=PatoMwanGovaSmit19/> *''Coleus caninus'' subsp. ''caninus'' – northern Tanzania to Eritrea, India to Myanmar *''Coleus caninus'' subsp. ''flavovirens'' <small>(Gürke) A.J.Paton</small>, synonyms ''Coleus flavovirens'', ''Plectranthus caninus'' subsp. ''flavovirens'' – South Africa to Ethiopia
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=PatoMwanGovaSmit19>{{Citation |last1=Paton |first1=Alan J. |last2=Mwanyambo |first2=Montfort |last3=Govaerts |first3=Rafaël H.A. |last4=Smitha |first4=Kokkaraniyil |last5=Suddee |first5=Somran |last6=Phillipson |first6=Peter B. |last7=Wilson |first7=Trevor C. |last8=Forster |first8=Paul I. |last9=Culham |first9=Alastair |date=2019 |title=Nomenclatural changes in ''Coleus'' and ''Plectranthus'' (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera |journal=PhytoKeys |issue=129 |pages=1–158 |doi=10.3897/phytokeys.129.34988 |pmc=6717120 |pmid=31523157 |name-list-style=amp |doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name=POWO_445934-1>{{citation |title=''Coleus caninus'' (Roth) Vatke |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:445934-1 |access-date=2020-08-01 }}</ref>
<ref name=Wink04>{{Citation |last1=Winkler |first1=Ullrich |date=2004 |title=Aktenzeichen A 003/2004 |publisher=European Union Community Plant Variety Office |url=https://cpvo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/decisionBOA/2004/DecisionBOA_032004_DE.pdf |access-date=2020-08-01 |lang=de, en }}</ref> }}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q97961770|from2=Q462741}}
caninus Category:Flora of South Africa Category:Garden plants of Southern Africa Category:Flora of Sudan Category:Flora of Angola Category:Flora of Ethiopia Category:Flora of India Category:Plants described in 1872