Gynura aurantiaca - Purple Passion Vine
Sprouts of BristolScientific Name
Gynura aurantiaca (female-tail, orange in colour)
Common Name
Purple Passion Vine, Purple Velvet Plant, Velvet Plant
Origin
Native to Southeast Asia, especially Java
Description
The Purple Passion Vine's bright purple colouring makes it stand out in any indoor jungle. The tiny hairs on its leaves give it the colour, and their brightness stands out like a halo around the green of the leaves. The vivid colouring needs bright (but indirect) light to grow so vibrantly. It is in the Daisy family, and at the end of a plant's life cycle (usually 3-5 years) it will produce bright orange pom-pom like flowers; in its natural habitat this allows it to be pollinated and so pass on its DNA. As a houseplant, the flowers will add even more beautiful colour- but as the plant will die after flowering, read our tips below for more detail on extending its life! Whether you choose to let it flower or keep it as a foliage plant, this plant's stunning colour will draw the eye wherever it is placed.
Light
The brightest spot out of direct sunlight will keep your Purple Passion happy, such as a north-facing window. East or West facing can also work, as long as you keep a close eye on the dryness of soil.
Water
Consistently moist soil above all is the most helpful for this plant. Allow the top third to dry out between waters, but no more; crispy leaves are a sign that the plant's moisture levels are inconsistent. Reduce slightly in winter when the plant will be dormant, and water less in a darker location.
Humidity
Average humidity works well with the Purple Passion, just make sure it's not too close to a radiator.
Soil
Use a fine, well-draining but moisture retentive mix for best results; a soil designed for ferns would work well here. Should only need repotting twice in its life cycle (usually 3-5 years); when you repot, do so in spring.
Food
Feed every four waters in the growing season, reduce to every six in autumn and winter.
Temperature
Ideal temperature is 18-24°C; make sure it does not get colder than 15°C in winter. If it is cold for a longer period, this can trigger flowering and the end of the plant's life cycle, so a consistent temperature of about 18°C will help sustain the life of your vine as a foliage plant.
Pet-safe
No; this plant is not poisonous but can cause irritation & discomfort if your pets nibble on it.
Sprouts Top Tips
Flowering marks the end of the life cycle of a Purple Passion Vine. If you want to prolong its life, you can cut off the beginnings of the flower buds; alternatively, you can propagate your plant by stem cuttings before it flowers so that the plant can continue to live through this clone. When the plant is big enough, you can cut the top 6cm off the leading stem, with at least 5 leaf nodes on, to propagate, Carefully snip off the bottom two leaves, then place the stem in lukewarm water on a bright windowsill while you wait for the roots to grow. Once they are 3cm long, it's ready to be potted into soil!
Important Information
If you have any questions, please check out the below or get in touch via our contact formWe're devoted to sending our customers quality plants with the best service around. Every plant is backed by our 7-day guarantee, so they arrive in good health.
Our team takes extra steps when prepping plants for transportation, but they're still sensitive to changes, so there may be minor cosmetic issues. We always aim to photograph and disclose any flaws before shipping, but a living creature travelling across the country in a box can take a hot minute to adjust to its new life.
If you have any issues within 7 days of receiving your order, holler at our customer support team on our contact form with your order details and some pics of the issue. After the guarantee has expired, though, we can't refund as we can't guarantee care and environmental factors. If you repot the plant during the 7 days, the guarantee is void.
We have been sending plants up and down the country for many year now and we like to think we have our way down to an art.
We protect the plant from falling out of the soil with tissue paper and tape if needed, then we wrap the plant in corrugated cardboard, and sometimes we protect the leaves with extra tissue paper if required. This is then placed into a box and if there is any empty space, we fill this with void fill to stop the plants moving around inside the box. Sometimes we will write a note on your packing slip to water the plant on arrival, so please look out for this. This is due a freshly watered plant going in a box will not only be soggy, but as the plant is in darkness this can sometimes make the plant unhappy when just freshly watered.
If your plant arrives to you unhappy, please send us a photo of the plant and packaging if relevant straight away, so we can advise you.
Online orders are packed and dispatched within a few days. Usually depending on volumes, we aim to get your order dispatched within 1 working day. We have collections from Royal Mail 6 days a week so deliveries tend to be speedy.
Our standard parcel delivery service is £4.99 for Royal Mail Tracked48, you can upgrade to Tracked24 for £2.50.
We do offer a Tracked48 Large Letter option for £2.99, and Tracked24 for £1 extra, but this only applies to products less than 2.5cm thick.
*Deliveries 7 days a week only included Tracked24 parcels.
Link to your shipping policy
We get a lot of boxes, packaging and whatnot at Sprouts from all our various supplier's deliveries. We re-use this packaging material where possible, plus we take in donations from local businesses and customers to our shop to avoid excess packaging going to landfill. Sometimes your delivery might look a little different, or come in a branded box from another company, but rest assured the items inside are carefully packed with love and attention inside. We use paper tape and all our branded materials included are fully recyclable. Sometimes we use polystyrene, bubble wrap or plastic wrap in the packaging, all these items are not new and where possible, please use them again.
We have partnered with Zedify to offer low-carbon deliveries in Central Bristol for £6.99.
Zedify collect and deliver orders from us Monday - Friday and will usually deliver your order the same day its collected. If you place your order before 11am, we will aim to get it collected the same day but this isnt always possible. When you have received your dispatch email, Zedify should be delivering your order the same day, anytime before 6pm.
We cannot give an idea of time, but if you would prefer delivery on a certain date (Monday - Friday) please get in touch or leave a note at check out with your preferred delivery date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Zedify deliver to the following postcodes BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8 (1, 2, 3A - 3N, 4), BS9 (1,3,4).
Select click and collect at checkout to collect your order from our Bristol shop.
You will get an email when your order is ready to collect, where possible please come and collect your order the same day as we have limited space. If you are going to collect your order at a later date, please let us know in the message box at check out so we know when to expect you. Some items such as gift sets, kits and pre-order items may not be ready to collect the same day, again please let us know what day you would like to collect and we will let you know if there's any issues.
We do not offer free returns, but if you are unhappy with your delivery, please get in touch. If your parcel or order has been damaged, please take photos and send these over to our team so we can look into this for you.
If you have ordered an item and you would like to exchange it, we should be able to do this for you. There may be an extra charge for delivery, but get in touch to discuss. For plants there is a 7 day return policy and 30 days for everything else, apart from sale items which are none returnable.
You can return or exchange in our Bristol shop for free.
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