Red-flowering Pinellia (Pinellia ternata `Atropurpurea`)

Ready for some dark magic in your shade bed or on your balcony? The Pinellia ternata 'Atropurpurea' is an absolute insider tip for plant lovers looking for something unique. This extraordinary rarity not only impresses with a spectacular, deep-dark flower color, but also fascinates with a brilliant talent for self-propagation. An exotic gem that is guaranteed to turn heads—all while being wonderfully low-maintenance and completely hardy!

Scope of delivery: Each 7cm pot contains several young tubers. Currently still in winter dormancy.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Perennial, tuber-forming, and hardy herbaceous plant.

• Height: Remains nice and compact at about 15 to 30 cm.

• Habit: Dainty growth. The fresh green leaves are characteristically trifoliate (hence the name "ternata") and create a beautiful, bright contrast to the dark flower.

• Flower: From May to July, it displays the typical flower of an aroid, but with a spectacular twist: the 'Atropurpurea' variety captivates with a deep burgundy to almost black spathe, which encloses a spadix. The absolute highlight is the dainty, whip-like appendage of the spadix, which protrudes from the dark flower like a fine thread!

Origin

Its original home is in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea). There, the green wild-type prefers to grow at the edges of forests, in thickets, and in meadows. The 'Atropurpurea' is a dark-colored form of this species that is particularly coveted by collectors.

Ingredients (IMPORTANT WARNING)

Like almost all aroids, the plant contains sharp calcium oxalate crystals in all its parts (especially in the tuber). In its raw state, the plant is poisonous and strongly irritates the mucous membranes. Consumption or self-medication is absolutely taboo!

Use

• In the garden: A fantastic and rare ornamental plant for shady beds, woodland edges, or for container gardening. Due to its dark flower, it is perfect for collectors of exotic and unusual aroids.

• In medicine (TCM): In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the tuber is known as "Ban Xia" and is one of the most important medicinal plants in existence. There, it is elaborately pre-treated with ginger and alum to neutralize its toxicity, and is then used as a powerful remedy for nausea, coughs, and phlegm.

History

The Chinese name "Ban Xia" translates to "half summer" or "mid-summer." It refers to the fact that in its Asian homeland, the tubers are traditionally harvested exactly in the middle of summer (around the summer solstice), as this is when they have the highest concentration of active ingredients.

Curiosity (The plant that clones itself!)

The Pinellia has developed a brilliant survival trick: it forms tiny, spherical bulbils on its leaf stalks (often exactly where the three leaflets divide). As soon as the leaf wilts in autumn and falls to the ground, these tiny tubers grow into completely new, independent plants the following spring.

Location, Care & other important things

• Location: Partial shade to shade. No direct midday sun.

• Soil: Humus-rich, loose, and well-drained (waterlogging causes the tuber to rot).

• Care & Hibernation: Completely undemanding. In autumn, the plant pulls its leaves back completely and hibernates invisibly in the ground as a tuber. It is very winter-hardy in our latitudes.

Tip: Mark the spot in your bed so you don't accidentally dig up the small tuber during autumn gardening!

• Keeping it in a container on a balcony or patio is very easy.

Click here for the pure green wild-type...