Red Ivy
Hemigraphis alternata
Acanthus Family
Genus: Acanthaceae
Family: Acanthaceae Juss.
Locale: India, Java, Malay Archipelago.
Folk/Other names: cemetery plant, Hemigraphis, Red Ivy, Red Flame Ivy, Purple Waffle Plant.
Many different species and cultivars of the Hemigraphis: cultivar “colorata” is the “Red Ivy” and the cultivar “exotica” is the purple waffle plant. Prostrate, rooting perennial; leaves ovate-cordate, to 3 inches long, toothed, bullate, purplish beneath, gray above; corolla white, 1/2 – 3/4 inches long, pollen apparently sterile; fruit never produced.
Cultivation: Plant prefers partial sun to partial shade, but can tolerate low light. Grows best in a east/west window. Soil should be kept moist as this plant requires alot of water. Moderately easy to grow with needs of temperature between 60 and 85 degrees. Grows best in high humidity. Propagation : done from stem tip cuttings or layering in 2-3 weeks.
Red Ivy from India, Java at the National Arboretum
Smithsonian, National Mall, Washington, D.C.Bibliography/More information:
Old House Interiors Magazine (web): http://www.oldhouseweb.com/gardening/hemigraphis-red-ivy-purple-waffle-plant.shtml
University of Connecticut (web): http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/198700127.html. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facility.
