Exotica Purple Waffle Plant

Exotica Purple Waffle Plant (Hemigraphis alternata 'Exotica') is a low, spreading foliage plant grown for leaves that are green on top and metallic purple underneath, with a puckered, waffle-like texture. It reaches only about 20cm high but spreads to 40cm, so it fills pots, baskets and shady garden edges. It is a tropical plant that wants warmth and humidity, and it repays both with colour.

Why you'll love it

• Two-tone foliage. The puckered leaves are green above and metallic purple beneath, so the plant shimmers as the leaves move and catch the light.
• Colour in the shade. Filtered sun to shade suits it, which makes it a rare source of rich leaf colour for dim corners. Full sun all day can dull the colour.
• Versatile. Grow it indoors in pots and terrariums, outdoors in hanging baskets or as annual bedding, or in tropical gardens as underplanting.
• Low and spreading. At 20cm high and 40cm wide it makes a neat carpet beneath taller plants.
• Food for butterflies. It is a food plant for the brown and gold Lurcher butterfly, so it earns a place in a butterfly garden.

Where it works best

Tropical underplanting. In frost-free gardens, plant 30cm apart beneath shrubs and palms. The plants knit together into a purple and green carpet.

Indoors in pots and terrariums. It suits a bright room, a bathroom with some humidity, or a closed glass terrarium, where its liking for moist air is met.

Baskets and annual bedding. In cooler climates treat it as summer bedding and replace it each year, or bring baskets inside before cold nights arrive.

Growing Exotica Purple Waffle Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Filtered sun to shade. Full sun all day can dull the leaf colour. It likes humidity and temperatures above 10°C, so it is a year-round plant in tropical and warm subtropical gardens and homes, and a summer annual further south. Indoors, keep it in a bright room away from cold windows in winter.

Soil. Well-drained soil, or a free draining potting mix in containers. It likes regular moisture but not waterlogged soil, so drainage matters.

Water and feed. Mulch and water regularly until it is established, which usually takes around 12 weeks, and keep the water up through summer heat. Feed with a slow release fertiliser in spring.

Pruning. Prune as required to keep the shape. Pinching back long stems encourages denser growth.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Exotica Purple Waffle Plant as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. Tubes are the economical way to cover a shady bed or fill a few baskets, and in warm weather they settle within a few weeks. Plant out or pot on soon after arrival, and keep the young plants away from cold nights.

Tube stock is grown by our supplier and is not always available. If there are none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button sends an email the day it returns.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse tropical plants
• Plants for partial shade
• Growing tropical foliage at home
• Groundcover plants

Common questions

Can I grow Exotica Purple Waffle Plant indoors?

Yes. It suits pots and terrariums in a bright room with regular water and some humidity. Keep it away from cold windows in winter.

Does it flower?

Occasionally, with tiny white flowers, but it is grown for its foliage. The colour comes from the leaves.

Will it survive winter in a cool climate?

It likes temperatures above 10°C, so in cooler areas grow it as a summer annual or keep it indoors over winter.