Species · genus Gynura · Asteraceae

Velvetplant

Gynura aurantiaca (Blume) DC.

Also known as: Purple Velvetplant · Purple-passionvine · Royal Velvetplant · Purple Velvet Plant · Velvet Plant

Growth habit

Unknown

Native range

Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Gulf of Guinea Is., Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Reference · G. aurantiaca

Cultivars of G. aurantiaca

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under G. aurantiaca yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Gynura aurantiaca is a soft-stemmed African herb in the daisy family, grown for its velvety leaves edged in fine purple hairs. It wants bright indirect light to keep its coloring, and even but not soggy moisture; water when the top inch of mix has dried, taking care not to wet the fuzzy foliage. The soft growth wilts visibly when too dry, recovering once watered, so err toward the drier side to avoid rot.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-9d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 9 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining, fertile potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings root quickly in water or soil

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly while actively growing

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Small orange flowers with an unpleasant scent, usually pinched off

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-9d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Velvetplant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.