Iresine sp.

Beefsteak Plant, Chicken Gizzard, Blood Leaf
Family: Amaranthaceae
Origin: Brazil
USDA Zone: 10-12?

Ethnomedical plant.
Plants marked as ethnomedical and/or described as medicinal, are not offered as medicine but rather as ornamentals or plant collectibles.
Ethnomedical statements / products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We urge all customers to consult a physician before using any supplements, herbals or medicines advertised here or elsewhere.

Evergreen shrub, up to 3 feet tall. Abundant water when actively growing, moderate the rest of the time. "Blood Leaf" bright purplish-red "Beet" or "Beefsteak" oval puckered leaves, with notched tips, on red-maroon stems forming dense bushes. Traditional window-sill plant, the Achyranthes verschaffeltii of elaborate Victorian bedding design. Iresine Herbstii Acuminata or "Painted Bloodleaf". Sharply pointed blood red leaves with carmine and liver-lilac veins and stems; an old favorite still much in demand. I.H. Aureo-Reticulata - "Chicken Gizzard Plant". Bright yellow-veined apple-green rounded lvs, with odd notched tips, accented by red-magenta petioles and stems. Old fashioned puckered foliage again popular among indoor lightgardeners.

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