# Purple Viv - purple plants?



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

I've developed a fetish for purple plants - so I'm going to plant the next viv with purple plants. I have a wildly maroon pepperomia, and a wandering jew sitting in my "waiting for a place to live" tank. 

What are other purple or purpleish plants that would be nice in my viv? Is it fittonia that has the pink striped leaves? Those would be cool.

I know it will look decidely unnatural - I might be going for that look, but not sure.


----------



## CREEPlNG_DEATH (Nov 28, 2009)

A great purple plant is a perrenial by the name of "persian shield" if you can find one. It is native to arizona.


----------



## Neontra (Aug 16, 2011)

Don't know if these are viv safe plants but i've gotten a few plants in my greenhouse from here.
Plants of the Color Purple

I really like purple/burgundy/etc wandering jew, infact I have 5 small plants in my 20H, but I wouldn't like an all purple tank, which you might discover after you build your tank.


----------



## billschwinn (Dec 17, 2008)

Were you a fan of Prince?


----------



## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Neoregelia 'Domino' would do it for a purple brom.


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

Neontra said:


> I really like purple/burgundy/etc wandering jew, infact I have 5 small plants in my 20H, but I wouldn't like an all purple tank, which you might discover after you build your tank.


This is my concern - that with all purple, the purple won't look as dramatic.

I am considering it anyway.

I love browsing that site. They have so many plants.


----------



## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Heres a good brom Tropical Plantz :: Bromeliads :: Neoregelia :: Neoregelia Purple Star x Fireball.
Sorry for the link but I am running out of the house.
Jason


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

billschwinn said:


> Were you a fan of Prince?


LOL, I still like prince!

but i think I'm inspired by our architecture student and going to create the "alien landscape" viv..


----------



## Dartfrogfreak (Jun 22, 2005)

Personally I think silver compliments the purple/burgundy very well
Some purple plants that do well in vivs could include
Nautilocalyx lynchii
Codonanthe 'Cranberry'
Syngonium erythrophyllum
Peperomia repii


Bromeliads
Neoregelia 'Darkest Hour'
Neoregelia '*******'
Neoregelia 'Superball X pauciflora' 
Neoregelia 'Obsidian Ice'


Silver plants
Peperomia marmorata
Pilea 'Silver Cloud'
Peperomia turboensis
Philodendron SP Ecuador Silver (Sort of like a miniaturized brandtianum)
Philodendron brandtianum
Scindapsus pictus
Peperomia SP Ecuador (This is actually a purple/ gray)

Another good one is Pilea 'Silver Tree' which is purple/burgundy with a silver stripe down the middle Same with Pellionia repens


Todd


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

ooh, how about a silver and purple theme, it will be like a wedding.
I wonder if there is a way for me to tint my dryloc silver. 
I think thats another thread.


----------



## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

I always like the colors purple and yellow together. Another good plant with purple is cissus discolor.
Jason


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

CREEPlNG_DEATH said:


> A great purple plant is a perrenial by the name of "persian shield" if you can find one. It is native to arizona.



OH IT IS BRIGHT!!!!


----------



## randommind (Sep 14, 2010)

I picked this up at Home Depot...._Gynura aurantiaca sarmentosa_ "purple passion" vine. It has purple velvet hairs all over it.








I also picked up a "persian shield" but it turned out to be WAY too big for any of my tanks. One day I will have a 100+ gallon tank and I am definately going to have one in that.


----------



## Dartfrogfreak (Jun 22, 2005)

I should post a photo of the Persian Shield growing in our front flower bed
Its a quite large species



Todd


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

CREEPlNG_DEATH said:


> A great purple plant is a perrenial by the name of "persian shield" if you can find one. It is native to arizona.


Mynamar, not Arizona


----------



## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Purple waffle plant.....
Hemigraphis alternata

purple waffle plant - Google Search


I had a persian sheild in my main viv it lasted for about 9 months and then started to rot out.....I couldn't stop the roots from getting water logged due to planting location.....


----------



## dpal666 (Jul 8, 2009)

I've used the purple waffle in a couple tanks, I had to almost pull it completely out, it took over everything.

That may be from the fertilizer i was using....pacman frog poo, it got big enough that the pac couldn't really move in a 20L


----------



## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

Let me know if you need some purple isopods to go in there as well


----------



## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

not sure why Jason wasnt taken seriously, but the cissus is a GREAT viv plant and is VERY colorful


----------



## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

As a break from purple foliage, you might consider purple flowers. Plenty of orchids and gesneriads fit the bill.


----------



## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

motydesign said:


> not sure why Jason wasnt taken seriously, but the cissus is a GREAT viv plant and is VERY colorful


Now take that and put this brom next to it 
Or a nice neo herbie


----------



## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Some orchids actually have purple leaves also. I remember seeing a few amazing phals with dark purple leaves at a local orchid greenhouse (and no not from excess lighting). Another one that comes to mind is Anoectochilus Roxburghii which is a jewel orchid. It has dark green leaves with purple/pink veines and a purple underside.


----------



## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

GRIMM said:


> Some orchids actually have purple leaves also. I remember seeing a few amazing phals with dark purple leaves at a local orchid greenhouse (and no not from excess lighting). Another one that comes to mind is Anoectochilus Roxburghii which is a jewel orchid. It has dark green leaves with purple/pink veines and a purple underside.


A nice mini orchid that does well in vivs is trichosalpinx chamaelopanthus(spelling?). It has a nice green leaf but the undersides are all purple. It grows in more of a bush then a typical orchid but is very nice on backgrounds.
Jason

Picture Link:
http://www.andysorchids.com/picture...s/5272med.jpg&PicId=5272&PicNam=Trichosalpinx - chamaelepanthes (pendant)


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

motydesign said:


> not sure why Jason wasnt taken seriously, but the cissus is a GREAT viv plant and is VERY colorful


Oh, I always take Jason seriously ;-)
I just didn't get to google the cissus yet!! I like it!! 

I'm pretty excited about this project which has grown in my brain overnight. 

Thank you all for your help!


----------



## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

I was going to recommend the Cissus discolor too....

I've seen a few begonias that are purple, but I'm not all that great with plants.

I have a friend who's planning on doing a black viv. All black plants. If you're concerned about the purple not being as big a "wow" factor if _everything_ is purple, why not do a dominant black plant viv, to provide a very dark surface on which your purple plants can POP?


----------



## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

SmackoftheGods said:


> I have a friend who's planning on doing a black viv. All black plants. If you're concerned about the purple not being as big a "wow" factor if _everything_ is purple, why not do a dominant black plant viv, to provide a very dark surface on which your purple plants can POP?


Yeh, I think the concept of the viv is going away from purple - I think I've decided I want to build the Alien Civilization of Geckonia, where the mourning geckos are aliens and the environment is alien but designed to their needs and desires. I plan to use weirdly tinted dryloc on styrofoam for structures that will be designed to best house the aliens and the plants will be as un-natural as possible. I'd prefer non-green plants. Black ones would be cool, as would purple.


----------



## Keeferd (Mar 20, 2016)

I think this concept seems awesome. I have a pink striped wandering jew in my current vivarium and I love it. I may take this idea to my next vivarium and have a pair of Leucs in it. I think the purple will contrast with the yellow of the leucs well and make it seem like an alien planet, not to mention their interesting call.


----------



## Shaggy2061 (May 26, 2013)

CREEPlNG_DEATH said:


> A great purple plant is a perrenial by the name of "Persian shield" if you can find one. It is native to Arizona.


Never heard of this one any pictures?


----------

