Strobilanthes auriculata
The size of the plant and of its bag can vary a little from the photograph — each one grows at its own pace. We keep them as consistent as we can.
Overview
The leaf looks like polished metal: dark green beneath, and above it a silvered purple that shifts with the angle of the light, with the veins picked out in green. Persian shield comes from Southeast Asia and is grown across the tropics for that leaf, not for the flower. In nurseries and catalogs it also appears as Strobilanthes dyerianus, which is the name most people search for.
Culture
Partial shade is where it gives its best color: in full sun the purple washes out, and in deep shade it dulls and stretches. It wants soil rich in organic matter, moist and well drained, and warmth: it dislikes cold. Pinch the tips while it's young so it branches instead of going gangly. After a couple of years it turns woody at the base; the usual thing is to renew it from cuttings, which root very easily.
Edible Uses
Not edible.
Medicinal
We don't offer it as a medicinal plant.
Traditional uses for information only. Not a substitute for advice from a health professional.
Agroforestry
In the catalog for its beauty, not for a role in an agroforestry system.