Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Conservatory Greenhouse

Peristrophe speciosa

purple rice plant

An evergreen subshrub to 120cm in height, with elliptic green leaves to 8cm long, and greyish stems. The flowers are magenta, in clusters of 2-3 in the axils of leafy bracts on a branched panicle. They are tubular, to 5cm long, strongly 2-lipped, borne mostly in winter

Synonyms

Justicia speciosa

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1B

Botanical details

Family: Acanthaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Peristrophe are tropical perennials or subshrubs with simple leaves and showy flowers with long, slender tubes. They can be solitary or in clusters of 2-3, surrounded by a ring of narrow bracts, and arranged in loose heads
Name status: Correct
Plant range: India

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in containers using soil based compost in bright filtered light. Shelter from midday sun. Water well from spring to autumn, but let the surface of the compost to dry a little between waterings. Apply liquid balanced liquid feed monthly. Reduce watering in winter

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cutting in late spring, early summer. Bottom heat may be beneficial

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Patio and container plants

Pruning

Trim back after flowering

Pests

Glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse whitefly and other glasshouse pests may be a problem

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.