Hello again! I wanted to get back to you all about a month after my original post with an update and another question about this plant. I do believe it is a hibiscus although it has never flowered in my care (5 years). As you may recall and see from the photos I submitted in February, it seem to be on its way out. I was distraught about this since it had been my mother's and in a way some of you may understand, I felt like I was letting her down by letting it die - and perhaps even causing its demise. So I set to work, following the suggestions given by you kind and knowledgeable folks. Here's what I did. I removed it from its pot and found a relatively small tangle of roots in rather wet soil. Now this was the same pot and soil it had been in at my mother's where it flourished. I was surprised that the root mass was not larger - it did not fill the pot, and I was surprised that it was so wet because there was plenty of drainage. Nonetheless, I removed most of the soil and repotted it in fresh, dry potting mix. It's actually a succulent mix because that's what i had. I hoped it would allow good drainage to keep the roots happy as I had been told that they don't like to be in cold wet soil. I also drilled extra holes in the pot and raised it up out of the saucer using several chopsticks so it would never sit in water. I gave it a small amount of water just to moisten the new surface but hoped the dry soil around the roots would wick away excess moisture. I also moved it closer to a heat source, right in front of a SW facing window. Of course I checked on it daily and after about a week stuck my finger in to see if the soil was still damp underneath. It was. So using a chopstick I poked around trying to gently churn it up a little. I figured it couldn't get any worse than it was. I was willing to experiment. Now, almost a month later, here are some photos. You'll see most of the leaves are completely dried up and many have fallen off. But there is one branch that still seems viable and I do believe I've even seen some new growth. The other day I noticed a small black flying insect flitting on the soil surface. I got out my insecticidal soap and sprayed the leaves and the soil surface. I don't know if it was a fruit fly from my compost bucket or something else but the plant hasn't gotten any worse. Now I am wondering if I should fertilize/feed it and if so, with what. Again, all opinions welcome - you guys really helped me out! Thanks.

Hiya Pam and thank you! :) Yes, that's exactly what it is. The link below describes its velvety leaf top-side and purple leaf under-side. Lisa Here is a link that might be useful: Zebra Plant

I’d say the larvae sounds like fungus gnat larvae so does the worm type things the larvae can range from clear to brownish and, it’s most likely if it is fungus gnats due to the dead nerve plant or overwatering or both add 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to your soap water mix (1 part peroxide to 4 parts water) spray the soil for 7 days or water your plants with it as a flush for the larvae get neem oil for the adult gnats if you start seeing them it also kills many other house plant pests and make sure it’s safe for your plants in particular.

Some kind of Plectranthus.