| I bought a plant labeled chocolate plant. It has beautiful maroon leaves that are medium to dark almost brown in color. The leaves are about 2-3 inches and it is about 2 feet tall. I tried to research the name chocolate plant and all the information led to the cocoa plant. Can you help? |
| Pseuderanthemum alatum, or Chocolate Plant, is a low growing herb native to Mexico and Central America. The coppery-brown leaves with silver blotches along the midrib are broadly ovate with winged petioles. Leaves will reach up to 6 inches long by 4.5 inches wide. From early summer to fall, the plants are adorned with purple flowers on 18-inch tall racemes. Individual flowers are up to 1.5 inches across. Very showy! Pseuderanthemum alatum need partial shade to full shade with a moist well-drained soil mix. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mixture consisting of 1 part peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. The plants are watered and then allowed to dry slightly, but they are never allowed to dry completely. Plants are fertilized on a weekly basis using a balanced fertilizer diluted to one-half the strength recommended on the label. During the winter months, water is restricted to about once a week and the plants are not fertilized during this period. Best wishes with your new plant! |
