Purple Passion Kokedama measures 8 inches tall with a 4 inch moss tear drop. The display plate is not included.
Purple Passion features green leaves covered in tiny, purple hairs. Increased light will give a higher density of purple hairs and more vibrant colour intensity. From a distance, the hairs are so dense that they give the impression of the leaves having a soft velvety texture, in vibrant purple colour. The plants develop an orange flower that smells very unpleasant which shows you that their primary pollinators are beetles. The solution to this is to snip off the buds as soon as they appear, not giving them a chance to flower and become stinky. The other benefit of this is that the plant’s energy will go into continued production of the beautiful leaves instead of wasting it on average looking flowers.
CARE: Purple Passion prefers partial shade. Its ideal temperature is 18-29°C with moderate to high humidity. The most difficult part of looking after a Purple Velvet plant is getting the watering just right, as the plant enjoys moist substrate but has delicate roots that can easily be affected by root rot. I reccommend doing the taco test on the leaves to know when to water.
Fertilize once a week with diluted plant food and once a month in winter. The plant has a short lifespan of just a few years. When the Purple Velvet plant reaches maturity, it loses its vibrancy, and the leaves will look more green and dull. To combat this, you will need to propagate your plant every few years to ensure you have a continued supply of the plant’s next generation.
May be more susceptible to mealybugs.
Purple Passion
Gynura aurantiaca, called purple passion or velvet plant, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is native to Java, Indonesia. It is an evergreen perennial growing to 30 cm tall, the stems sometimes growing straight up but other times reclining against other objects when stems can reach 2 metres. Leaves, stems, and bracts are dark green, covered with soft purple hairs that impart a velvety feeling to the plant. One plant can produce 1-5 flower heads, each on its own flower stalk. The flowers have a rather strong odour. Each head contains several yellow, orange, or red disc flowers but no ray flowers.
