How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Purple Passion Plant

One of the most beloved houseplants is the purple passion plant (Gynura aurantiaca). The most striking feature of this plant is the soft purple hairs that cover the upper leaf surfaces, with lovely green underneath. The plant is perfect for a hanging basket on a slightly shady porch or in an indoor setting. 

Purple passion plant care is not complicated, either. As a tropical variety, it requires many of the same light, water, and nutrient conditions as other houseplants do. Because of its striking appearance, it will stand out among others in an indoor collection. It can be grown outdoors for at least part of the year in most areas. 

The flowers have an intense scent that is considered unpleasant. Typically, their appearance indicates that the plant is ending its life cycle. Thankfully, propagating is easy, so you won’t miss this gorgeous houseplant after its life ends.

What are Purple Passion Plants?

The Gynura aurantiaca, commonly known as the purple passion plant, is just one of a few common names for this tropical houseplant. It’s also known as the velvet plant due to its fuzzy leaves, which are either green, purple, or a combination of both.

Native Area

Gynura aurantiaca is from Southeast Asia. It is a woody perennial evergreen native to Java with roots in Sumatra and Sulawesi. This vibrant perennial thrives in the humid, warm climates of its native habitat, where it typically grows as an understory specimen in tropical forests.

Characteristics

Purple passion plants have a low-lying or vining habit depending on where they are grown. They grow two to six feet tall, and one to two feet wide. The textured green leaves are ovate, with serrated edges, and covered with fine purple to reddish hairs. Young leaves have the most apparent coloring. The leaf undersides are completely green.  

The roots of purple passion plants are relatively shallow, but they readily grow from cuttings. In the wild, sections fall to the ground and root easily, especially in spring and summer. Therefore, home propagation is easy. When it is at full maturity, it blooms spindly orange aster flowers with an unpleasant smell when fully open. 

Most home gardeners snip them off before they bloom completely. At this time, you’ll want to take stem cuttings for propagation, as the orange flowers are a sign that the houseplant is going to die back soon. 

Purple passion has an extra layer of pest protection via the hairs that cover its leaves. These multicellular trichomes deter many pests, making them less of a problem. It’s also completely non-toxic to pets and humans. 

Planting

When planting purple passion plants, start with a pot with drainage holes that is about six to eight inches in diameter. Use a good potting mix and add a few handfuls of compost. Plant the cutting or seedling one to two inches deep into the soil, ensuring the root system is fully covered. Water the soil thoroughly, allowing it to drain well, and keep it consistently moist but not soggy.

Trim occasionally to encourage bushier growth and prevent leggy stems.

How to Grow

The purple velvet plant is pretty easy to care for! Here are the basics that will keep it healthy. 

Light

The leaves do not respond well to too much direct sunlight, acquiring more green color at least and singed, crispy leaves at worst. Keep it in a dappled sun or an area with bright, indirect light. If you don’t have consistent dappled shade, a spot with direct morning sun and afternoon shade is sufficient. 

Water

Young specimens of purple passion plant need a little water every two to four days. More mature specimens benefit from watering every week or so. In warmer areas and seasons, water more often. As a general rule, keep the soil evenly moist in the spring and summer growing seasons, and slightly dryer in fall and winter. Do not wet the soft purple leaves when you water.

Allow a quarter of the soil in your pot to dry before watering. If you don’t live in a humid area, provide a pebble tray that offers some humidity or a humidifier. While most homes range from 30% to 50% humidity, your purple passion plant likes high humidity at 40% to 60%. 

Soil

Your purple passion plant will do just fine with basic potting soil. If you’d like to make your own, try a mix of two parts peat moss and one part sand. The peat helps trap moisture that keeps the soil moist, and the sand gives your potting mix the good drainage it needs. Your houseplant needs good-quality soil for adequate growth. A slightly acidic pH is best, at 6.5 to 7.5.  

Temperature

You can grow an outdoor purple passion plant in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12. In other zones, keep it indoors when temperatures dip below 60°F (16°C). The ideal temperature range is 75 to 85°F (24-29°C). This means an indoor space has the perfect range – especially a spot near a window with a sheer curtain.

Fertilizing

During the growing season, fertilize your purple passion plant every two weeks with a balanced fertilizer diluted to half strength. Do not fertilize in fall or winter, as it is dormant and won’t absorb the nutrients provided by the fertilizer. Overall, you may not need to fertilize. But use this method if you do.

Maintenance

You don’t necessarily need to prune your purple passion plant, but pinch back the first set of leaves to the subsequent leaf node if it’s growing vertically too much. This promotes bushier growth rather than lateral growth. 

As it ages, you may want to take some cuttings. Of course, if any leaves get scorched by the afternoon sun, remove those. Similarly, diseased or damaged leaves can be removed throughout the lifespan. To train the purple passion plant to become a purple passion vine, lay it up against a wall or even a small trellis. Then, avoid pruning it to allow lateral growth to proliferate. 

One very important pruning practice involved in purple passion plant care is removing the orange flowers that bloom among the velvety leaves. Many gardeners will remove these before they open fully due to the odor they emit, which is less than desirable. This is a good time to prune as well, as the plant is entering the end of its life cycle and will need to be propagated.

Propagation

After a few years, your purple passion plant will have reached maturity. If you want to continue to carry out care, you’ll have to propagate cuttings. Clip a sizeable stem in active growth of spring or summer, cutting above the growth point. Remove the bottom leaves, with one to two sets remaining at the top.

Prepare pots for your stems with the same potting mix you used for the current Gynura aurantiaca. Use a pencil or chopstick to create a hole in the center of the potting mix. Dip the stem cuttings in rooting hormone, and place them in the holes. Water lightly. Affix a plastic bag over the top of the pot and put it in a sunny area. Continue to keep the soil evenly moist. In about two weeks, you’ll have new growth. 

Once your stems are putting out new leaves, it is propagating. At this time, you can transfer them to a hanging basket or anywhere the purple leaves can receive bright light and temperate humidity.   

Common Problems

Now that we’ve covered the basics of purple passion plant care let’s discuss the issues you may face when working with them. Like other houseplants, they have some very basic things to look out for, but the hairs on their leaves give them an extra layer of protection from pests. 

Growing Problems

Your purple passion may experience problems if the conditions in which it grows aren’t suited to its nature. For instance, if you place it in direct sunlight, the purple color of the velvety leaves will lessen. If you notice this or dry and crispy leaf tips, this is a sign your purple passion is receiving too much sunlight. Filter the light through a sheer curtain, or move to a place where it can receive bright but indirect sunlight. 

When purple passion gets too much water, especially when you’re working with cuttings of the stems, it could be predisposed to diseases like rot. We’ll touch on this more later, but remember to avoid watering until a quarter of the soil in your container is dry. 

If you don’t tent your propagation stems with a plastic bag, purple passion may not propagate, and your cuttings may rot. You need to simulate the tropical regions purple passion lives in and trap moisture in the bag to create a new houseplant.

Finally, improper fertilization can damage your houseplant. Remember, you may not need any fertilizer. If you do choose to fertilize, only feed every two weeks in spring and summer. Do not feed in winter. Fertilizing at the wrong time gives it more than it can absorb and can promote rot.  

The flowers of Gynura aurantiaca smell terrible. Remove them if you wish.

Pests

Aphids can attack your plant and suck the sap of leaves and sometimes the stem. Like the other pests in this section, their feeding can cause nutrient deficiencies and curling leaves. If planted outdoors, spray it with a strong stream of water to break off their mouth parts and prevent further feeding. When spraying, if this seems like too much water, gently wipe congregating aphids with a damp cloth. Applying neem oil is perfectly acceptable as a follow-up treatment.  

Spider mites also suck sap from your stems and leaves and sometimes spin webs as they go. If you see webs wrapped around the stem and leaves, this is a sign the mites are present. Keep moisture in the soil and around your houseplants to prevent them. Use insecticidal soap or neem to treat them.   

Mealybugs are common pests of many houseplants. If you notice small white cotton ball-like bumps in the purple hairs, this is a sign mealybugs have arrived. They, too, suck the sap of your houseplants, purple passion included. All of the pests in this section will leave behind honeydew that can cause rotting if they aren’t taken care of. Use insecticidal soap, neem oil, and start your mealybug treatment by popping them off with an alcohol-soaked Q-tip. 

Diseases

Botrytis blight and fusarium wilt are both fungal diseases that may develop if you are caring for your houseplant improperly. Wilting leaves, brown leaf spots, and mushy stems are all signs that you might have a fungal infection. Prevent them by providing enough bright light and only fertilizing in spring and summer. For treatments, start with neem oil as a preventative.

Root rot is another disease that arises when conditions aren’t right. Mushy lower stems are a sign that root rot has set in. You can try repotting to control the spread of the issue. Remove the plant, and lightly dust off the soil around the root ball. If all the roots are brown and dead, dispose of it. If there are white, healthy roots, remove the dead ones and replant them in a fresh potting mix. Don’t water at first. If symptoms reduce, add some moisture.  

Frequently Asked Questions