I suspect this is one plant that would do much better if you considered letting it sit (gasp!) in water. I have not grown A. dentata though I have grown A. ficoidea with wet roots, managed to get it to flower (but got bored and got rid of it, didn't have high enough light to get the colour nice on it). A. reineckii is actually able to be grown completely submersed and is one of the most popular "red" aquarium plants. I think if you have a spare cutting try growing it in very wet conditions and see how that performs for you.
The plant stays purple because you are seeing a UV defense mechanism taking place. When ever you see a purple or red plant, that pigment act as a UV protectant. I learned this in a plant behovior class....just thought that I would share the knowledge...
and also, Andrew is right, this plant loves to be started with wet roots! I take cutting from my plant all the time. I just toss them in water and the root system grows long, thick, and wtih lots of root hairs which establish a stronger plant.
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I am so glad I found your post! I moved into a house last year with beautiful gardens, two of which are overrun with this plant. The leaves on mine are purplish-green, probably because it is partly in the shade. I had been wondering what it was and couldn't find it online or in the perennial books (I guess because it is an annual), so thank you for posting information about it!
Alternanthera dentata is a common carpet-bedding plant. It's done largely by cuttings.
Keep 1 node for leaves and one for roots. Results are improved by dipping in rooting hormone.
We put our cuttings in a soil-less mix like BM6 and throw it under a mist bench. Like you said, it only takes a week.
To keep the plants from collapsing, the humidity should be kept high. I also found that cutting large leaves in half improved this.
Hi, your post is funny and the comments are so informative. Thanks, all, I usually get my fun fix from gardening forums like yours where i find people are generous with their knowledge and have a good sense of warmth and humour. So, about this plant, whose name I was searching for when I found your blog, yea, mine also did that 'I'm dead' trick on me. Luckily, i just let it be, and now the slender stem that i planted about a month ago, has put on a couple of pairs of new leaves and has the most gorgeous, bright maroon colour!
I love my Purple Knight, which of course, outside, here in southern Florida, it stayed bright red/purple. I just cut mine back and getting ready for the seeds to arrive. I literally pulled all the plants out of the ground last year, and then this year they all came back with a vengeance! They are so aggressive, but down here, they are perfect.
Thanks for posting...I am always so happy to read about them!
Contributes such a unique color to the flower bed. Fills in a space nicely. My only criticism is that it is the first to wilt when it goes more than two days without water, but bounces back quickly once watered. Looks nice paired with chartreuse foliage, pink or orange flowers, and red or bronze coleus.
This was my first time for alternanthera I have the purpleLeaf and it did great during the North Texas summer. I had it in my yard in a container but it was to hot and had to be watered twice a day. I moved it closer to the patio where it wasn't in the direct heat and it did much better. This will be a regular in my garden its stunning...
General Information: Vigorous upright, spreading habit arches over the edge of the pot, excellent when used in the landscape. Dark purple-leafed foliage is ideal accent for mixed containers. Very heat-tolerant plant thrives even in subtropical Summer conditions. Can be grown in part shade and full sun. Grow in full sun for the darkest leaf color. Upright, spreading plants work well in landscapes. Good for 4-in. (10-cm) pots to gallons. Height can vary by location; plant grows taller in warmer conditions.
The information presented on this page was originally released on February 10, 2003. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
Late winter cold snaps are enough to make a gardener want to have a groundhog killing, but it would be better to channel our frustrations toward planning this year's landscapes. Therefore, I want to call your attention to a new, must-have plant for 2003.
"Beautiful," "striking" and "tough-as-nails" are just a few of the adjectives horticulturists are using to describe Purple Knight alternanthera after landscape trials. Purple Knight is guaranteed to take gardening to new levels of enjoyment.
Alternanthera may sound familiar since Purple Knight is related to the old-fashioned alternanthera known as the Joseph's coat. That is where most similarities stop, as Purple Knight is like a thoroughbred racehorse yielding its dark purple foliage from late spring until frost.
Purple Knight is an environmentally friendly plant with no serious pests or diseases. Rain by the buckets, winds to make you seek cover and heat that would force you indoors are no match for Purple Knight. This means the Purple Knight provides beauty without the fuss and worry associated with other plants.
Purple Knight ordinarily reaches 16 to 20 inches in height. I planted it with that expectation, and it virtually covered up my salvias, purple heart and society garlic. It reached every bit of 36 inches with an equally impressive spread. But believe me, I was not the least bit upset with its tenacious performance.
When you get yours this spring, space plants 18 to 24 inches apart. The dark purple foliage blends wonderfully with flowers like the Tidal Wave petunia, particularly the silver and hot pink selections. For the complementary color scheme, try yellow, orange or gold flowers like New Gold lantana or the French dwarf-crested marigolds Bonanza or Janie.
Those with a cottage-style garden theme will want to use them with bold drifts of perennials like the black-eyed Susan, Shasta daisy, purple coneflower or blue salvia. I grew some last season with ornamental grasses and the result was very pleasing. The choices of companion plantings are limited only by your imagination.
Purple Knight will perform effortlessly for a long season, giving incredible beauty to the landscape. A little water during periods of drought, light applications of slow-release fertilizer in late spring, summer and early fall and you will have the green thumb.
If at any time during the growing season you feel the need to give a light pruning to shape or confine a little, do so. Purple Knight will never miss a beat in the landscape. Make your cut just above a set of leaves.
Purple Knight alternanthera is just one of several hot purple plants for this new gardening season. Don't forget the ornamental millet Purple Majesty, which is an All-America Selections Gold Medal winner.
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Looking for something different to fill some space in the flower garden this year? Well, look no further, Purple Knight Alternanthera is the plant you have been waiting for! Also known as Joseph's Coat (although not technically really Joseph's Coat), Purple Knight is a fast-growing plant that can become fairly large if left to its own devices. If kept trimmed so it doesn't get too heavy, it makes a nice dark purple shrub-like plant, and if not trimmed, it makes a vine-like ground cover. The shade of purple is directly related to the amount of sunlight, so if you want purple-black, give it plenty of sun, and if you want a lighter shade, put it in some shade. This is a plant that sets off almost any flower color you can imagine, making oranges look orangey and silvers look more silvery, and yellows look more yellowy - you get the picture. Once you have tried this plant, you will wonder how you ever did without it, as it is just about the best filler plant I have ever run across.
Purple Knight is not a plant you will likely find in the bedding section of the neighborhood garden center, although it deserves to be there. I got my first one as a gift from my daughter who had visited a grocery store grower who supplied exotic plants to the store. At first, I didn't really understand the plant. I put it in a pot in a sunny window inside the house, and it quickly grew into a forked 8 foot vine that was flopping all over, so one day I cut it off and stuck the cuttings in the ground in the garden outside. The picture above represents those two cuttings a couple of months later, so as you can see, this is quite a vigorous plant. Cuttings root readily, so once you acquire this plant, you will never have to buy it again. It is not cold hardy at all, and will not survive frost, so take cuttings and grow as a houseplant during the winter. Other than wilting when it needs water, this is a no-brainer houseplant. Indoors or out, just trim as needed and let it go! I have seen mine wilted to the point it looked completely dead, but watering brought it back within a couple hours. Gotta love that kind of resiliency!
Purple Knight starts readily from seed, or as described above, from cuttings. Finding your first plant will be the hard part. I know they sell seed at Park Seed and a few other online gardening stores, and you might have some luck locally if you are paying attention. This plant gets my wholehearted stamp of approval and should be a part of every garden that needs a filler, a pop of color, or a backdrop for pretty much any color of flower. And by the way, it also makes a fabulous container plant, especially combined with a bright flower color like orange impatiens or a foliage plant like coleus. Have fun with this one, folks, because this is a find that will make you look like you really know what you are doing, and people will notice! 152ee80cbc
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