Pronounciation: Trad-es-KAN-tee-uh pal-LI-da

Hardiness zones
Sunset 12-24 (outdoors), as an indoor plant everywhere
USDA 9-11 (outdoors), as an indoor plant everywhere

Landscape Use: In partial to full shaded landscape situations purple heart makes a wonderful small scale accent ground cover, shaded entryway plantings, atriums, containers, raised planter beds, hanging baskets.

Form & Character: Sprawling and trailing, succulent, royalty, unusual, tropical to subtropical.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, herbaceous perennial, moderately trailing and prostrate to 1-foot tall with a MUCH greater spread, forms adventitiously rooting stolons and occassional rhizomes.

Foliage/Texture: Alternate, purple foliage, cupped, elongated, clasping around a succulent purple stem; medium coarse texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Smallish flowers are terminal and apical and consist of three purple pink petals surrounding yellow anthers; fruits are inconspicuous, horticulturally insignificant.

Seasonal Color: None, though flowers are very subtle during winter and purple foliage is attractive during warm season.

Temperature: Freezing temperatures can damage foliage, but plants quickly recover as weather warms.

Light: Partial shade best, though surprisingly tolerant of full sun east and south exposures (no west exposure) and full shade.

Soil: Well drained with a fair amount of soil organic matter is best. Purple heart is relatively salt sensitive. Marginal tip necrosis salt damage is common, especially if soils are cultured on the drier side.

Watering: Regular irrigations especially during the warm season are required.

Pruning: Head back to control spread.

Propagation: Very easy by stem cuttings.

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: This is a surprisingly tough landscape plant for Phoenix landscapes. A strong foliar accent sub-shrub for lower desert, partial sun to shade gardens for that colorful tropical effect.