Can you ID this purple succulent? - Big Images

16 years ago

My friend sent me this from Florida and says it is pretty common where she lives but she doesn't know the name. She says the neighbor told her that it is a succulent.

I'm not sure if it is or not. Can anyone ID it?
{{gwi:566158}}

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Comments (9)

mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
Tradescantia pallida. Common name "purple heart." Native to Mexico. It's related to wandering jew, grows incredibly fast, roots in almost no time, is hardy to about 20F, and is terribly underappreciated outside the South.

(Inside the South, it's considered an invasive and is sort of a problem. I don't know if NC is warm enough year-round for it to be a problem or not.)
dragonstone
Original Author
16 years ago
Wow, thank you!

I'll most likely keep it in the pot and just bring it into the greenhouse during the winter.
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aloe is some hybrid often called 'California' Aloe. Purple Aeonium is Aeonium Zwartkop. Kalanchoe with small plantlets in foreground is a K delogensis (aka Bryophyllum tubiflora), Echeveria also in foreground could be peakockii, or elegans... not sure. Green small-leafed plant looks like Portulacaria afra, plant in back looks like Anacampseros... but could be a Sempervivum possibly... and plant in back corner barely visible is Crassula tetragona.
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I too think the 1st is Aloe striata hybrid, the subtle stripes in the leaves & the white margins: I have one quite like it, but my ID is not official.. # 2, some kind of Kalanchoe, I have this too, but don't know its name. #3, Kalanchoe tomentosa #4, Echevaria unknown #5, Graptopetalum, Pachyphytum or Ech. #6, Graptopetalum or some kind of Crassula #7, yes to Easter cactus (whose name I forget) to 5 & 6, I could tell better w/ a diff. view, hard to tell if they're rosettes or not. They might like better light, more sun. The #5, w/ the whitish 'bloom', mars easily when watered or handled, best to try & handle it by its stem (if possible). Lovely, healthy, happy looking plants all, nice finds. Congrats to you!
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It certainly is not an Aeonium they will not tolerate the heat the leaves are not correct as well, it is not a Crassula, which is a witger grower I heve never seen a Echevieris grow such a thin stem. I belive it could be possibly be a Sedum deltoideum I used to have one crested but not any more, and of course there is good possiblilty I may be wrong. This is another reason labels are needed. U gave seen crested Aeonium, I would recognize the leaves. When your plant flowers you will know. Norma
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wantanamara, its just common blue grama, probably from seeds you sent me or else seeds I got at the History Museum. I keep trying to get new plants started, I love it. I visited the Museum today. They killed out all that mixed prairie grass growing on that hill of big rocks that I had admired so much, looks like they sprayed everything except the Muhly riverchonii. All the others were just dried up cut back dead grasses. I couldn't believe it! I plan to go back later on to see if they replace it with some other plants. No way its winter kill, that grass is too tough. In another area, they have large drifts of Little Bluestem and I don't know what kind it is but its extremely tall for a bluestem, the old seed heads from last year easily came up to my chest and the stalks are more than twice the height of the leaves, very blue, anywhere from powder blue to steel blue and has thinner leaves than other types. I found a few strays I saved from the weed whacker. You guys, thanks for the nice comments but except for the flame flowers all those plants are from seeds that came from Texas, its stuff grows wild in abundance on the roadsides. Roadsides are great for getting seeds, its a matter of "organization and selection" Wantanamara has great weeds on her property and its the common stuff I collect mostly, nursery's don't carry it because its considered common weeds. My eyeballs are constantly on the lookout for any interesting possibilities and they are everywhere. There is a large white prairie clover plant I just marked out last weekend for later seed gathering here. The thing looks like one of those perfect big white fireworks displays on the 4th of July. Btw, Oklahoma is third in its #'s of varieties native plants, just after Texas and California in the US. I read that this week online. I just ran across a teeny tiny form of stiff wiry grass, actually I think its a carex of some kind, cuter than a button with itty bitty brown seeds on top of those impossibly thin stems that stand up perfectly forming little upside down cone shaped plants that are about 4" tall. I have a little cluster started. This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 3:40
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birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Dragon, btw, Purple Heart isn't a succulent..though it doesn't like soggy soil I allow mine to dry just a bit between waterings..though they like more water in summer, especailly if set in strong light..the more sun, leaves are more pronounced..darker purple..PH's have a tendency to grow straggly in winter..Cuttings are super easy to root..just set in water, and roots will form a few days later. These can be planted w/mom.
As they grow a bit larger, you'll see little white/pink/purple flowers..Good luck and your plant is pretty..Toni
User
16 years ago
I also known this plant by the botanical name Setcresea or Setcresea pallida, I saw it blooming in FLA last wk.

It's not a succulent, actually it's a tropical, is very easy, has pretty blooms & from what I recall behaves much like a common Wandering Jew.
dragonstone
Original Author
16 years ago
hopefulauthor - Thank you!

I'll relay the 'non-succulent' truth to my friend. ;)
mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
The whole Tradescantia / Setcreasea thing is another example of people changing the name because scientists decided that they were more related to one thing than another. I knew it as Setcreasea purpurea before I saw it called Tradescantia pallida. (And there was apparently a transitional period of Setcreasea pallida, too.)
milwdave
16 years ago
By all means!...plant it out! It roots so easily you'll have no problem taking cuttings to overwinter from year to year. And the combo of those nice deep purple leaves and lighter purple flowers makes it well worth the effort. Put it someplace that it likes and it MIGHT even make it through the winter outdoors.
lynne_melb
16 years ago
It's very pretty. Be aware though, that some people are very sensitive to the sap from the plant.
yukichan
16 years ago
This stuff will survive just about anything here in FL. After the last hurricane season our yard was under 3' of water for a week. Anything that wasn't a tree died, but these things are still crowding out everything else in my front bed. I've seen them growing in everything from deep shade to full sun. They produce tiny lighter purple flowers.

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Can you ID this purple succulent? - Big Images

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Can you ID this purple succulent? - Big Images

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mr_subjunctive

dragonstoneOriginal Author

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