List: Green-Leaved Plants With Red or Purple Undersides

I could have sworn that I'd read that leaves with red or purple undersides are an adaptation by understory-dwelling plants to collect more light. Damned if I can find a source to back me up, though: Google failed me completely. I checked some of my books, too. So maybe that's not true. Most of these do appear to be understory plants, though, whatever the reason for their pigmentation.

Alpinia luteocarpa (bamboo ginger)¹.

Calathea roseopicta 'Medallion.' I think.

Cissus discolor (begonia vine).

Cyanotis kewensis (teddy bear plant).

Excoecaria cochinchinensis (Chinese croton).

Hemigraphis exotica (purple waffle plant).

Nematanthus NOID (guppy plant).

Philodendron hederaceum micans (heart-leaf philodendron).

Selaginella erythropus cv. (red spike moss)

Tradescantia spathacea. (oyster plant, Moses in the cradle)

Making recommendations from this batch of plants is pretty easy, since there are only four plants on the list that I've had good experiences with (Cyanotis, Nematanthus, Philodendron, Tradescantia).

Of those four, Philodendron hederaceum micans is far and away the easiest; it's an adaptable, flexible plant that will survive a fair amount of abuse while still looking good. Tradescantia spathacea is next: it's a perfectly nice plant, and also very tolerant, but it won't develop the purple coloration without a lot of light, so it is demanding on that one point.

Cyanotis kewensis and Nematanthus cvv. are both a little fussy for me: both are usually robust and fast-growing, but both also sometimes die back for no obvious reason, and Nematanthus sometimes abruptly defoliates, which is likely either a cry for more light or a delayed response to drought. Both also need fairly bright light, and not all Nematanthus varieties have the red underside. So those are tied for my third recommendation.

The rest of this field is not very promising.

I've never tried Alpinia luteocarpa, but the ginger family plants I am acquainted with aren't plants I'd necessarily recommend to anybody.²

Calatheas are virtually never a good idea, for anybody, though they're not the worst choice from the list.

I've heard of people keeping a Cissus discolor indoors for any substantial length of time, but I think the people telling those stories are lying.

Excoecaria cochinchinensis and I only just met, so I have no idea what it's like.

I've tried Hemigraphis exotica twice now and will not be buying a third one; they need very intense light to maintain their coloration, plus they can't go dry, even briefly. Since briefly going dry is something that's very likely to happen to a plant that's in intense light, this basically means that you really have to be on the ball with the watering.

And, finally, Selaginella erythropus, which may be the very worst choice possible from this list, unless you plan to put it in a terrarium. In a terrarium, it'll probably do great.

Not pictured:

• Several Alocasias have green or gray surfaces with purple undersides, including A. amazonica 'Polly,' A. 'Mayan Mask,' and A. lauterbachiana. They're a bit too attractive to spider mites for my tastes, and 'Mayan Mask' is huge, but it is possible to grow them indoors. (suggested by tay696)
• Many Begonia cvv. have red undersides; B. x erythrophylla, the "beefsteak begonia," has a particularly vivid green-red contrast and is easy to grow.
• Virtually all Calathea varieties have red or purple undersides: C. burle-marxii, C. insignis (rattlesnake plant), C. makoyana (peacock plant), C. ornata, C. roseopicta, C. 'Corona,' C. rotundifolia, and C. rufibarba would all qualify, among several others. The only two I can think of that don't have a contrasting underside are C. concinna and C. zebrina. None are particularly recommended as houseplants, for a number of reasons.
• Some Columnea species / varieties have red undersides; the only one I know of specifically is C. orientandina, and its leaves are only red underneath at the leaf tips. Columneas seem to grow okay for me, though I've only had any since spring; other people appear not to find them terribly difficult. (suggested by allandrewsplants)
• A handful of Euphorbia species have green leaves with red-violet to violet backs: E. millotii, E. pachypodioides, and Synadenium grantii;³ Synadeniums are typically either uniformly green with red flecks or uniformly red-violet, but there are plants out there which are green with a red-violet flush on the undersides of the leaves. I have only grown Synadenium, which is ridiculously easy; I don't know what the other two are like in cultivation. (suggested by Sentient Meat)
• Geogenanthus poeppigii (seersucker plant; formerly G. undatus) has highly textured leaves (texture is similar to Peperomia caperata) which are dark green with silver stripes on top and purple underneath. I don't know what it's like as a houseplant; I don't think I've ever even seen it for sale, but it's in a lot of the books, so people must have grown it once.
• Tahitian bridal veil, Gibasis geniculata, has small green leaves with purple undersides when grown in good light, and is a fairly easy-to-grow, if messy, plant.
• Homalomena 'Purple Sword' has broad leaves, mottled in green and gray, with purple backs and petioles. (It is, for some reason, often sold as an Aglaonema or Schismatoglottis; there doesn't seem to be much consensus on the ID, from what I could find on Google.) I haven't been happy with the Homalomenas I've tried to grow (though 'Emerald Gem' and I did eventually reach an understanding), and I've never seen a Schismatoglottis for sale so I assume they're probably difficult as well. Aglaonema and I get along great, which is a major part of my concluding that the plant in question is probably not an Aglaonema. (suggested by tay696 as Aglaonema)
• Hoya curtisii has small heart-shaped leaves which are marbled green and silver on top and flush brownish-red on the underside in certain conditions. I've never grown one, but assume their care is similar to that for other Hoyas. (suggested by Tigerdawn)
• In bright light, Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura (prayer plant) leaves will have a red back. The other varieties of M. leuconeura never have red undersides, as far as I know. Not recommended, though people do grow them.
• Monadenium rubellum (sometimes M. montanum var. rubellum) is an unusual caudex-forming succulent. The leaves are green with dark red undersides. I've never seen one for sale or tried to grow it.
• Musa zebrina has large green leaves which are splotched with red above and solid red below. I've never tried to grow this one, either, but I would guess it's probably fairly difficult indoors. They may be grown outdoors during the summer and then brought in to go dormant during the winter.
• Paphiopedilum delenatii and some other Paphiopedilums have reddish-purple backs on the leaves, at least in some conditions. Not recommended for beginners, but growable. (suggested by orchideya in comments)
• Peperomia rugosa has glossy, bumpy, olive green leaves with a red underside. I don't know how it is as a houseplant, but I'm about to find out 'cause I just got one. (I didn't know what it was, or I wouldn't have. I'd been hoping to find out that it was a Begonia with atypically symmetrical leaves.)
• Pereskia aculeata cv. 'Godseffiana's (lemon vine, yellow rose cactus) leaves aren't so much green on top and red underneath as they are yellow on top and hot pink underneath, but I figure it's close enough. I've only had one briefly (since May), but I like it a lot, and all indications are that it's going to be an easy plant.
• Philodendron linnaei is sometimes, but not always, green with a purple underside (possibly light-dependent?). It doesn't seem to be sold very widely, so I have no idea what it's like as a houseplant.
• Philodendron mexicanum has glossy, long green leaves with a red back, and is pretty easy to grow.
• Plectranthus ciliatus (candlestick plant, blue spur flower) develops a purple underside in strong light; I had trouble finding a way to get enough light on my plant, when I tried growing it indoors.
• Plectranthus x 'Mona Lavender' leaves are green on top and dark purple underneath. Easy to keep alive indoors, but best color requires ridiculous amounts of light. My main problem with them has been water-related: a potbound plant dries out too quickly, but when I repotted, the plant died. (suggested by Don and Kapt'n Splash in comments)
• Many but not all Saintpaulia (African violet) varieties will get red undersides to the leaves under good conditions. Saintpaulia and I have a troubled history, so I don't recommend them personally, but many, many people get along with them very nicely, and hey, you might be one of those people.
• Saxifraga stolonifera's (strawberry begonia) leaves are gray with a red back. It's usually a very easy plant; mine are being weird at the moment and I'm not sure why.
• Stromanthe sanguinea 'Magicstar' has dark green leaves with white flecks and a red-violet underside; 'Triostar's leaves are pink underneath and irregularly brushed with white and green on top. Both are approximately Calathea-level difficulty; I've been successful with mine, over reasonably long periods, but not everyone is so lucky.
• Syngonium erythrophyllum has dark green leaves with red undersides; I have only ever seen it for sale on the (now defunct) Asiatica Nursery and have no idea what it's like as a houseplant. (suggested by tay696 as Syngonium)
• Some cultivars of Tradescantia zebrina (green/silver on top, red-purple beneath) or Tradescantia fluminensis (dull olive green on top, purple beneath) qualify. It's also possible to turn a T. zebrina that's supposed to be purple green by not giving it enough light; I think in those cases the underside turns green too, but it's been a while since I've seen it so I'm not sure. T. zebrina is easy to grow, if prone to running a bit out of control; T. fluminensis didn't do well for me indoors the one time I tried it. (T. zebrina suggested by Tigerdawn)
• -->I'm open to other ideas, if anybody can think of other plants that fit the category.<--

-

¹ "Bamboo ginger" is also the common name of Costus stenophyllus, which looks nothing like this and has leaves which are solid green on both sides. Just so you know. ² Except maybe for Zingiber malaysianum, which did very nicely for me for a very long time, though we're having some relationship problems at the moment. Some of this is Sheba's fault. ³ (Which is technically Euphorbia umbellata now, but sometimes I have trouble letting go of the names.)

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.5-1.8

Rules and Stuff
1) It's probably possible to vote more than once per poll, but please don't. If I believe that someone is voting repeatedly, I will throw out those results, repost the poll, and seriously question that person's priorities.
2) If you want to link to a poll on Twitter / Facebook / your blog / whatever and encourage your friends to come and pump up the support for your favorite plants, you are encouraged to do so.
3) You are also encouraged to leave comments on Rumble posts, if so moved.
4) All photos will enlarge if opened in a separate window/tab.
5) You can choose which plant is "best" according to whatever criteria you decide for yourself. My personal process is a bit convoluted.¹
6) All polls will be open for three days.

Match 1.5
Saintpaulia cvv. (African violet) vs. Hemigraphis exotica (purple waffle plant)

Saintpaulia cvv.
Top row, L-R: NOID, assorted NOIDs, NOID.
Middle row, L-R: NOID, NOID, NOID.
Bottom row, L-R: 'Harmony's Red Star,' 'Mellow Magic' close-up, NOID.

Hemigraphis exotica, species.





Match 1.6
Cyclamen persicum (florists' cyclamen) vs. Echinopsis spp.

Assorted NOID Cyclamen persicums.

Unidentified Echinopsis sp. Probably.





Match 1.7
Pachypodium spp. (Madagascar palm) vs. Epipremnum aureum cvv. (pothos)

L-R: P. lamerei, close-up of P. lamerei trunk, NOID.

Clockwise from top left: Epipremnum aureum 'Neon,' 'Marble Queen,' 'N'Joy,' trained on a totem.





Match 1.8
Scindapsus pictus (satin pothos) vs. Crassula ovata/argentea/arborescens (jade plants)

(All Scindapsus pictus, possibly different cvv.)

Clockwise from top left: variegated Crassula ovata, C. ovata 'Gollum,' C. arborescens var. undulatifolia, C. ovata.





-

¹ I'm deciding according to a hypothetical situation in which all of my houseplants are gone, as are all the other houseplants of the world, except for one producer/supplier/retailer. Said person is offering to restock me with one or the other of the plants in question but refuses to give me both. Which one would I choose?

Random plant event: Hemigraphis exotica

This plant doesn't belong to me; it was at the ex-job a couple weeks ago. (My own plant is not particularly happy with me -- I think it's a problem of not being able to give it as much light as it would like.) It's not a particularly pretty or even interesting picture, but I hadn't seen a Hemigraphis flower before, so I figure some of you hadn't either, and now we all have, more or less. Hooray for the internet!

List: Plants for Terrariums

(Happy Valentine's Day, if applicable.)

This is an odd category to build a list around, because "terrariums," actually, is sort of hard to define. I usually assume, when I hear "terrarium," that we're talking about an enclosed glass container, no bigger than a couple feet in any direction, that's being used to grow moisture-loving plants, but of course there are also extremely large terrariums, terrariums that fit inside an incandescent light bulb, open-topped terrariums, desert terrariums, unplanted terrariums which house animals, etc.

So if you want to get technical about it, there's no plant that couldn't be grown in some kind of terrarium if one is sufficiently flexible about the definition, so the list of "plants for terrariums" equals every plant that exists. Which is an easy answer, but not particularly satisfying.

So what I'm assuming with this list is that we're talking about: an enclosed glass container, no bigger than a couple feet in any direction, that's being used to grow moisture-loving plants. Which means that we're looking for plants that like humidity and moist soil, which grow slowly, and don't need full sun. (Full sun is fine, except that it also comes with quite a bit of heat, and since there's nowhere for heat to escape in an enclosed terrarium, sooner or later an enclosed terrarium in full sun will cook itself to death.)

Which is still a pretty long list, it turns out.

Calathea makoyana. Some Calatheas can get to be large (to at least two feet / 61 cm in diameter) quickly, especially in a terrarium, and large Calathea leaves can block most of the light from reaching plants underneath them, but it's a lot easier to grow a Calathea under glass than it is to grow one on a windowsill.

Cryptanthus NOID. Some varieties can get to be pretty large, but most of the ones I've seen top out at about six inches across (15 cm), and they don't spread like some of the choices on this list will.

Episcia 'Coco.' Happy Episcias will produce plantlets on runners, which should root when they contact the soil (you may need to pin them down gently first, so they're firmly in contact), so they do spread a little, but they stay short.

Fittonia albibenis cvv. are fast-growing, spreading plants. The small-leaved varieties stay very short, while the varieties with larger leaves reach about six inches (15 cm) tall and then bend over under their own weight. The stems root when they touch soil, so over time they'll expand.

Hemigraphis exotica. Can get to be twelve inches (30 cm) tall in good conditions, though usually they're shorter than that.

Hemionitis arifolia. Also to about 12 in / 30 cm tall and about as wide. Mature plants will produce plantlets where the petiole joins the leaf; I'm not sure if they'll bend over and root on their own, or if they have to be helped, but either way, allow a lot of space.

Pellionia pulchra. Fast-growing, aggressive trailing plant in a terrarium. Stays short, but the stems need to be cut back periodically.

Peperomia argyreia. Another somewhat mounding plant that needs about 12 in / 30 cm in height and diameter.

Saintpaulia 'Harmony's Red Star.' I don't know about this variety specifically, but there are many, many Saintpaulia varieties, including miniatures (under 6 in / 15 cm in diameter). (Most get to be larger.) All grow well in terrarium culture, and stay relatively short. Spent flowers do need to be removed regularly, so this may not be the plant for you if you want to plant your terrarium in a narrow-necked bottle.

Soleirolia soleirolii, chartreuse cv. This is another low, mat-forming ground cover. Plants stay short but will spread fairly quickly if not cut back.
Recommends and anti-recommends are more or less pointless here, because what's going to work for you depends on the size of terrarium in question and what you want it to do. If you're interested in planting a terrarium, find out how big the plants you're thinking about including will get before you plant them. You should also try to find out how fast they'll grow: some people like having to get in and prune back the plants every so often, and some people don't.

A few of these plants will also need a more specialized growing medium than ordinary bagged potting mix. Most orchids would like the conditions in a terrarium just fine, but need to be planted in bark instead of potting mix, so I left them off the list.

Not pictured:

• Adiantum capillus-veneris (maidenhair fern)
  
• Aeschynanthus spp. (lipstick plants, goldfish plants)
  
• Asplenium antiquum (birds-nest fern)
  
• Asplenium 'Austral Gem'
• Asplenium nidus (birds-nest fern)
  
• Begonia rex-cultorum cvv. and small rhizomatous Begonias. I personally wouldn't try to grow a rex begonia outside of a terrarium.
  
• Blechnum brasiliense (tree fern) and other tree ferns
  
• Most Calathea spp. are suitable, at least when younger
  
• Chamaedorea elegans (parlor palm)
  
• Codiaeum variegatum cvv.
• Columnea cvv.
• Cryptbergia cvv.
• Cyanotis kewensis (teddy bear vine)
• Cyrtomium falcatum (holly fern)
• Davallia spp. (rabbit's-foot fern)
  
• Didymochlaena truncatula (mahogany fern)
• Dionaea muscipula (venus flytrap), though they have fairly specific temperature and water-quality needs which won't necessarily mesh with other plant species
• Epipremnum aureum (pothos)
• Ficus pumila (creeping fig)
  
• Some of the smaller Guzmania cvv.
• Hypoestes phyllostachya (polka-dot plant)
• Ludisia discolor (jewel orchid) and the other jewel orchids like Macodes and Goodyera spp.
  
• Maranta leuconeura cvv. (prayer plant)
• Nematanthus cvv. (guppy plant)
• Some of the smaller Neoregelia cvv.
• Nephrolepis exaltata cvv. (Boston fern)
• Pellaea rotundifolia (button fern)
• Peperomia caperata
• Peperomia clusiifolia
• Peperomia glabella
  
• Peperomia griseo-argentea
• Peperomia obtusifolia cvv. (baby rubber plant)
  
• Peperomia orba
• Peperomia verschaffeltii
• Some self-heading Philodendron hybrids, especially 'Autumn,' 'Moonlight,' and 'Prince of Orange'
• Philodendron brandtianum
• Philodendron hederaceum cvv. (heart-leaf philodendron)
  
• Pilea cadierei (aluminum plant)
  
• Pilea depressa (baby toes)
  
• Pilea involucrata cvv. (friendship plant)
  
• Pilea microphylla
  
• Pilea mollis 'Moon Valley'
• Pilea nummularifolia
• Pilea peperomioides? (Chinese money plant, missionary plant)
  
• Plectranthus oertendahlii?
• Podocarpus macrophyllus (Buddhist pine)
  
• Polypodium formosanum
• Polypodium grandiceps (elkhorn fern)
• Polyscias fruticosa cvv. (ming aralia, parsley aralia)
• Pteris cretica cvv. (table fern, Cretan brake)
• Saxifraga stolonifera (strawberry begonia)
• It seems to me like Schlumbergera cvv. (Christmas cactus, holiday cactus) ought to work, though I can't say I've seen it attempted much.
• Scindapsus pictus (silver pothos)
• Scyphularia pycnocarpa (possum tail fern)
• Selaginella spp. (spikemoss)
• Miniature Sinningia cvv. (gloxinia)
• Smaller Spathiphyllum cvv. (peace lily)
• Streptocapus saxorum (streptocarpella)
• Streptocarpus cvv. (cape primrose)
• Stromanthe spp.
• Syngonium podophyllum (arrowhead vine)
  
• Syngonium wendlandii
  
• Tillandsia cyanea and other Tillandsia spp. (pink quill, air plants)
  
• Tolmiea menziesii (piggyback plant)
  
• Tradescantia spathacea? (moses in the cradle, oyster plant)
  
• Vanilla planifolia? (vanilla orchid)
• Small Vriesea cvv.

New Plants, Part II

Continued from Tuesday, here's the second half of the recent batch of new plants.

Haworthia tessellata. (Some people would say H. venosa var. tessellata.) Ace Hardware, Iowa City, $6.40 on sale from $8.
I got one of these a couple summers ago from Lowe's, which turned out to have mealybugs, so it didn't last long here. Didn't expect to see another specimen this soon -- it's possible that I've only seen this species for sale twice in my life -- but since I have, we're going to try it a second time. This photo doesn't show the coolness of the leaf pattern very well, alas, but you can kind of see it if you open the photo up full-size.

Hemigraphis exotica. Earl May, Iowa City, $3.
I'm not especially a fan of this plant, but it was cheap, and I felt like I sort of owed Hemigraphis another shot; like with the Haworthia, the first attempt ended quickly. In that case, the problem wasn't bugs: I didn't have a bright enough spot, so it lost color but limped along anyway, then one week I forgot to water it in a timely fashion and whoops! it's dead. So it gets one more chance to impress me. But only one.

Kalanchoe marmorata. Ace Hardware, Iowa City, $7?
I thought this was another retry -- I had an offset of K. gastonis-bonnieri a while ago that never managed to take, and I thought that's what I was getting here, but I think what I actually got was K. marmorata.

I'm not thrilled about this, and I'm especially not thrilled that I didn't figure out which Kalanchoe it was until I'd already uploaded the photo, 'cause now the file name is wrong, but oh well. Too late now.

Kalanchoes and I have a mixed history, tending towards bad: I have a hard time getting them enough light (tomentosa, bracteata), and the ones I can get enough light on, I tend to overwater (luciae, orgyalis). More recent attempts (millotii, prolifera) have been better, though.

Peperomia obtusifolia 'Gold Coast.' Ace Hardware, Iowa City, $4 on sale from $5.
Sometimes, in the excitement of buying plants, I pick up something I don't need or want, just because it happens to catch my eye at the right moment. This may be one of those plants, but that's okay: at least it's something I like. And I could use it to propagate from, if nothing else.

Pilea peperomioides. Quad Cities Botanical Center, Rock Island, IL, $5.
Did you know that the Quad Cities has a Botanical Center? I didn't. We visited last Friday, and I took a million photos, which will take some time to get sorted out, but there will probably be a post sooner or later about this.

They also sell a few plants, which is where I saw this. I'm a little unsure about the ID: the tag said Pilea peperomioides, but someone had written "Pepperomia" [sic] on the pot in black Sharpie, and Peperomia 'Jayde' is awfully similar-looking. I'm fairly confident that this is the Pilea, though: Peperomia 'Jayde's leaves come to a point at the tip, and are concave at the petiole, neither of which apply to this plant.

I was excited to see it; ever since Ivynettle mentioned it in the comments for this post last August, I'd been trying to keep an eye out, but I wasn't expecting to find one.

Syngonium podophyllum gold whatever. Earl May, Iowa City, $3.

Syngonium podophyllum pink-spotted whatever. Ace Hardware, Iowa City, $4 on sale from $5.
Both of the Syngoniums were varieties I'd seen and wanted before, but I've only been able to find them in four-inch (10 cm) pots for $8. Even for a pretty Syngonium, that's too much.

I don't know the name of either variety; they weren't tagged. The first one I've seen before, called 'Gold'-something, but I no longer remember. The second one might be 'Confetti,' though I think I've seen multiple cultivars with pink spots like that.

Tradescantia (?) NOID. Reha's Greenhouses, Wellman, $5.
Last, a NOID. I suspect it's a Tradescantia, but Callisia or Cyanotis hasn't been ruled out. It strongly resembles Tradescantia pallida, but it has elements of several things: the leaf shape and fuzziness is like Tradescantia sillamontana, the undersides of the leaves are purple even in lower light like T. spathacea, and when it's gotten enough light to be properly colored-up, it resembles a short, stubby T. pallida, though the color isn't quite as deep.

Reha's was unable to tell me anything more than, they don't believe it's the same species as T. pallida, and it needs very bright light in order to color up properly.