This painting of Coleus, which is also known by its scientific name of Ocimum scutellarioides, can be found in the first volume of the the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. Used medicinally for various ailments, 'Hati-Hati' means Take Care, which was likely due to the plant's heart-shaped leaves. The collection consists of 477 watercolours of flora and fauna that had been painted for William Farquhar when he was the Resident of Malacca between 1803 and 1818, before he took up the post of the first Resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823.
