Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Tradescantia pallida
Purple Heart
Tradescantia pallida, Purple Heart, produces the deepest and most reliable purple foliage available in a low ground cover: fleshy lance-shaped leaves on trailing purple stems, holding colour all year in full sun and carrying small pale pink three-petalled flowers through the warm months.
It is the standard colour contrast in hot-climate mass planting, used against grey gravel, silver foliage or the gold of a clipped duranta, and it strikes so readily from cuttings that a large area can be planted from a small order.
Specifications
- Height0.2 to 0.4 metres
- Width0.6 to 1 metre, trailing and spreading
- Native toEastern Mexico
- FoliageFleshy, lance-shaped, deep purple leaves on trailing purple stems; evergreen in warm climates
- Growth rateFast
Conditions
- SoilTolerates most soils including poor and sandy ground; needs reasonable drainage
- LightFull sun for the deepest purple; tolerates partial shade with greener leaves
- WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
- ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and warm arid regions; frost sensitive but reshoots from the base
Additional Features
- FlowersSmall pale pink three-petalled flowers through the warm months
- UsesIdeal for mass ground cover and colour contrast, median strips, spill over retaining walls, planters and interior displays
- SpacingPlant 0.3 to 0.4 metres apart for a closed cover in one season
- Low MaintenanceShear back when the growth becomes leggy; strikes readily from cuttings for infill
- Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient
- Drought ToleranceHolds colour and cover on minimal irrigation in high heat
- VersatilityUsed as a ground cover, a planter spill or an interior foliage plant
- ToxicityThe sap can irritate skin on contact; wear gloves when cutting back
Purple Heart is the cheapest and most reliable block of purple in hot-climate landscaping, and it holds that colour all year.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026