One of my favorite colors
Looks more of a dark red in the picture but purpley in good light.

So pretty! Is it a Crassula? It reminds me of a little one I grew about ten or so years ago. Calico Kitten (Crassula pellucida subsp. marginalis 'Variegata')

Yes, same plant.
Very pretty and roots very easily. Customers love them in little 2" pots.

The color ranges, even within one plant, are so neat. Cream to green to pink to purple, and everything in-between, depending on the light intensity for mine.

Of course I love purple foliage too! Tradescantia pallida has always been one of my favs!


So many members of Commelinaceae family have something purple to offer. Callisia fragrans can get purple centers or stripes:



So often, it's the backs of leaves:
Callisia elegans

Tahitian bridal veil (Gibasis geniculata)

'Baby Bunny Bellies'

T. cerinthoides

oyster plant / Moses in a boat (Tradescantia spathacea)

T. zebrina can be purple on both sides



I had to cull this from my herd because it just grows too fast and is only really happy in the ground, but it's not hardy. purple scimitars (Tripogandra)



Persian shield (Strobilanthes)


Some of the Rex Begonias have purple moments/purple accents, if not purple all the time



Sedums can be purple, but would be outside plants in most locations.



Purple passion (Gynura) comes around about once a decade. This is on my list of "get it again" whenever I see another one. For fans of unusual blooms, this is a good one. One cute little orange flower is strong enough to make a whole room smell terrible.



Purple waffle (Hemigraphis) is also more colorful on the leaf backs.

I LOVE purple foliage and the Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca 'Purple Passion') is an all time favorite but in all my years of growing houseplants (56 years!) it is one plant that I just cannot figure out! It will do well for awhile and then suddenly go into a fast decline and die! I've tried terrariums, wick watering, allowing it to dry out somewhat between watering and I just cannot figure this one out. The longest I've kept one alive was about 12-14 months. I got another one this past summer and it suddenly just up and died, so any tips or tricks y'all have regarding the Purple Velvet/Purple Passion would be much appreciated!

The only purple I have at the moment is Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyeriana).

Lin, that's similar to my couple of experiences with purple passion. A few bucks for a year of enjoyment sounds good enough to me.

Oh brother, I think this is another example of somebody putting a "cultivar" in the DB that is just a common name.
Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca 'Purple Passion')
Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca)

Just like T. pallida.

purpleinopp said: Oh brother, I think this is another example of somebody putting a "cultivar" in the DB that is just a common name.
Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca 'Purple Passion')
Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca) Just like T. pallida.

I agree that "Purple Passion" and "Purple Velvet" are common names for Gynura aurantiaca but I've had 2 plants over the years that were actually labeled Gynura 'Purple Passion', as though it was a cultivar name. I've also had a few with tags that just said "Purple Passion Plant" and "Purple Velvet Plant". Whether or not there are legitimate named cultivars, I don't really know. Perhaps the cultivar in our database should be combined with the species?

I think so. If there is a cultivar, it should have some distinguishable difference.

I've also wondered about the photos at this entry for Variegated Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura procumbens 'Variegata') They don't look like G. procumbens to me but more like G. aurantiaca.

IDK about that enough to have an opinion but there are T. pallida cultivars here that are just nicknames.

Funny you mention gynura...I haven't had one in years but have been looking for several months.

Such funny little plants, very unique.

T. pallida is root hardy here so a great way to increase the patches is to propagate stems at the end of the season. These are in jars and bottles of water until it's warm enough to put them outside in the spring.

Don't forget to add Oxalis Triangularis 'Purple Shamrocks' to your list of purple plants!

Fran12 said: Don't forget to add Oxalis Triangularis 'Purple Shamrocks' to your list of purple plants!

Always a fan of Oxalis, I'll check it out.
Thanks:)

Humboldt said: Funny you mention gynura...I haven't had one in years but have been looking for several months.

Such funny little plants, very unique.

Still haven't found one, and plants are one thing I don't want to buy online.

Still looking:)

After they kick, drop, and throw the box around, it's not an easy ride for a plant. I broke my rule and tried it but it went about like I thought I would. All that jiggling can damage plants too much. Most of those are dead, way below my survival rate for most plants bought in person. If they'd been unrooted cuttings, they would probably still be alive. Bulbs also travel well.

purpleinopp said: After they kick, drop, and throw the box around, it's not an easy ride for a plant. I broke my rule and tried it but it went about like I thought I would. All that jiggling can damage plants too much. Most of those are dead, way below my survival rate for most plants bought in person. If they'd been unrooted cuttings, they would probably still be alive. Bulbs also travel well.

About what I figured, thanks for the advice:)

I have security footage of every USPS, UPS, and FedEx delivery to our store, interior and exterior views.

They do their best but are the end of a very long chain of transportation.
I can see the the entire process of of plucking them from a growing and thriving environment and shoving them into transportation mode being pretty harsh.