I got this at Walmart a few months ago, it has put out at least a dozen babies. The leaves start green in the center and then grow out to be bright purple, the plant is about 3 inches across. It reminds me of hens and chicks, the way it grows but looks like hens and chicks from a cartoon.
Newsflash; it was dipped in purple paint! This is pretty common in wedding bouquets, and the paint is generally harmless and wears off the plant in time; this one is obviously a Haworthia, which you can tell because of the little striped windows that are emerging in the center as the plant grows.
The only problem with this method of prettying up the plant (apart from people buying them thinking that the color is normal and how the plant will stay) is that plants need access to light to grow.
If there is paint over the little windows where the light is absorbed, or covering the stomata on the foliage which have to exchange gases (plants breath Carbon Dioxide, and give off Oxygen – handy for us!) the plant may not survive very long.
Your plant under it’s purple paint job is a plain old green, but much more natural looking without makeup. Have patience, and the paint will eventually wear off, revealing the beauty underneath.
Happy Gardening!
Jacki
Comments for Very, very purple, looks like it was dipped in purple paint
Jun 10, 2013
The new babies that grow are also purple!
by: Carmen
The offshoots that have been taken of the plant and are growing are also purple! So I don’t think that it is paint.
I don’t think there could be any other reason why they would be purple, other than being painted. Wait a while and see, I’ll be curious to know if they do grow out of it. If they don’t, then maybe they were watered with food coloring, which is now in the tissues – how cruel!
Jacki
