Gynura aurantiaca – Indoor House Plants

Gynura aurantiaca (Commonly known as Purple passion or Velvet plant) is an evergreen perennial, ornamental house plant. This attractive plant can grow up 12 inches tall, the stems sometimes growing straight up but other times reclining against other objects when stems can reach 6.6 ft. Coarsely-toothed, ovate to elliptic, green leaves is covered with reddish-purple hairs. Clusters of tiny, Senecio-like, discoid, orange-yellow blooms appear in winter. Blooms generally don’t appear when plants are grown in lower light. It can be grown indoors in a bright window or out of doors on a patio. It is very great for indoor air purification.

Scientific Name: Gynura aurantiaca
Synonyms: Cacalia aurantiaca, Crassocephalum aurantiacum, Crassocephalum teysmannianum, Gynura ajakensis, Gynura densiflora, Gynura lyrata, Gynura sumatrana, Senecio zollingerianus.
Common Name: Purple passion or Velvet plant.

How to grow and maintain Gynura aurantiaca:

Light:
Velvet plant thrives best in bright indirect sunlight. Some direct morning sunlight is fine, but avoid strong summer sunlight which can scorch its leaves.

Soil:
Velvet plant prefers a well-drained, peat moss-based mix and it requires the soil pH range from 6.0 – 6.5.

Temperature:
Velvet plant prefers normal room temperatures between 60 – 75°F / 16°C – 24°C.

Water:
Water regularly, keep the soil evenly moist spring through fall. Reduce watering in winter, allow the top one inch of soil to dry out between waterings.

Fertilizer:
Fertilize every 2 weeks from spring through fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half. Feed monthly in the winter season.

Propagation:
Velvet plants can be easily propagated by stem tip cutting. Take three to four inches stem tip cuttings in spring or early summer. Dip cut ends in hormone rooting powder and place in moist peat moss or perlite. Enclose in a clear, plastic bag or cloche for the first couple weeks to hold in moisture.

Pruning:
Prune it back. Pruning off the stem tips is the way to make it branch out for a fuller, bushier plant. Try not to hurl out those stem tip cuttings, either. They’ll root easily, giving you more lovely plants.

Pests and Diseases:
There is no serious pest or disease issues. Look for aphids, whitefly, mealybugs, spider mites, or scale. Overwatering may cause rots. Greenish foliage may indicate light levels are too low.