Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: pillow plant

Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)

Distribution: East Africa: Tanzania, Kenya. Introduced: Hawaii, Seychelles.

Habitat: Savanna, under dense shrubs and trees.

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: There is little information online about the wild origin of this popular horticultural species. GBIF shows records from across Kenya and Tanzania, and a Missouri Botanical Garden herbarium specimen from Kenya in the Tana River district, states that the collected plant was growing under dense vegetation with trees and shrubs, in an area with scattered trees and shrubs, including Senegalia burkei, and sparse grass on clay over tan sand.
The plants were noted to be common, mat forming very succulent, brittle herbs, with leaves variegated maroon and green above, sometimes almost globose, with minute pinkish-purple corolla.