Could it be a type of Acalypha?

My first guess would be and interesting form of Iresine, sometimes called Bloodleaf? Its really pretty!

My guess is Persicaria virginiana.....Painters Palette.

Check these out Jonna, They have similarities:
http://rosesgarden-rose520.blo...

This is a google search platform which compiles lots of pictures from lots of sights:
https://www.google.com/search?...

Good luck with your search and I love that container!

Great links. Funny, but the only picture that I think looks like it is the one from Rose's Garden blog and hers doesn't look like any of the other ones either. The marked ribs on the leaves isn't there and all the other pictures show leaves that are solid red or pink not the variation that is on mine and the Rose's Garden blog. I'm starting to think that hers might be misidentified but I don't know.


The planter is a log I got somewhere and used a couple rocks to block the holes in the ends. I have it up high on a shelf on the wall to keep it away from the cats, who think it is a scratching post and that whatever plants I have in there are just in the way.

Perhaps Alternanthera ficoidea 'Partytime' or a similar cultivar of that species?
(Common names: Joseph's Coat, Parrot Leaf, Calico Plant)

That's what I thought too, Alternanthera, aka Joseph’s Coat
http://www.meadowridgeinc.com/...

Could it be Houttuynia

http://www.smgrowers.com/produ...

http://www.redbubble.com/peopl...

No, Houttuynia is an invasive ground cover and the leaves usually are tricolored, with quite a bit of cream along with the pink and green.

Alternanthera 'Party Time'.
May I add that I have discovered that the ph of the soil can effect the color patterns.

It looks like Alternanthera to me too. Exposure can also affect the leaf patterns.

It looks like a plant I had a few years ago; Alternanthera 'Party Time' but I'm having a bit of eye trouble today so I may be way off!

Joseph's Coat (Alternanthera ficoidea 'Partytime')

Bingo!!! Danita, Sue, Greene, Tiffany, Lin

Alternanthera - Joseph’s Coat - it is. It looks exactly like that.

Thank you so much.

I was going to warn you that it's not come back after winter (except inside in a pot) but that's probably not much of a concern where you are! (And now wondering if I've ever seen a "zone 13" gardening article... and just thought it was all called "10+" down there. LOL!)

I'm in Savannah, Georgia (zone 8a or 8b depending on exact location) and have Alternanthera (Little Ruby) in the ground as well as in pots. It all came back this spring. - no losses. I do usually bring a couple of small plants inside during the winter as insurance in case we have extreme cold.

LOL, unless I put it in the freezer it won't have to deal with cold temperatures There are zones higher than 11, I think I found them when I was comparing my location to someone in the wet tropics, places where it rains year around. Most of the info on gardening in these zones is not in English for obvious reasons. The ones in Chinese or other Asian languages are off the table for me, there are some from Australia and India that are in English. I do follow some garden forums in Spanish but unless I need precise info it is easier to just read and chat in my native language. I'm lazy and I can scan through ATP in a few minutes but it would take more concentration to read through the slang and abbreviations in a spanish forum, plus many of those are from colder climates as well, Spain, Argentina, Chile are all areas that have lots of garden forums but their weather is similar to parts of the US and not much help to me.

I think the main thing I've discovered about this plant is that I can't let it dry out and that where I have it in full sun all afternoon might be too much for it during the dry season. I'll have to watch it and maybe move it to less sun when it's not getting daily rains.

Slightly off the main topic -
have you set your computer to automatically translate certain languages? I have mine translate the 3 languages for the sites I do the most research - it is a big time saver. Sure, sometimes the translations are hilariously wrong, but I can still get the gist of the idea well enough to do more research in English.

I haven't found the translations from Asian languages to be very good, Mandarin for example. However, I haven't tried it recently beyond the occasional phrase. It's also hard to get the translators to work on slang and abbreviations. Think how hard it would be for google to translate something like 'get a grip', 'IDK' or other slang phrases we use in English. Recently I've been reading a lot of Australian news sites (for a job I'm doing) and their slang is a challenge for me as a native English speaker. When people ask me for advice on learning another language I always warn them to stay away from slang, word plays and swearing until they are really fluent as there are so many ways to get into trouble there. But on forums where people are chatting they constantly use these and refer to cultural jokes that 'everyone' knows, except the outsider. I'm very impressed by the ATP members whose first language is not English, they are all communicating so well and I know it isn't easy.

Fascinating stuff, enjoyed your anecdotes very much. I try not to use slang much on forums but probably do often without even realizing. Sounds like one of my fantasies... trying to translate tropical plant info from a native source, because I'm there, going to use it.

That's cool to hear, Greene, and Jonna about the dry season. The more I play with zone-pushing and microclimates, the more evidence there is that drainage/dryness are critical for a lot of things.

Thanks so much for the interesting side-trip here. Love the way it is planted in the original pic, BTW. I use this little guy at the base of potted plants that are tall and have a boring "naked dirt" surface if something else isn't added at their base(s.)