No photo yet
Sign in to add the first photo.
Purple Heart
Tradescantia pallida
Also known as Tradescantia pallida, Setcreasea pallida, Purple Queen
Plantae›Commelinaceae
Deep-purple lance-shaped leaves on trailing stems; almost impossible to kill. Grown emersed with its roots in the tank water, it works as a living biofilter — pulling up nitrate while the foliage stays in the air.
Grown with its roots in the tank water and its leaves in the air: a living nitrate filter, not a submerged aquarium plant. Give it bright indirect light; no aquarium CO₂ or substrate needed.
Sap can irritate skin and is toxic to pets if eaten — keep foliage above the water; the roots are safe.
Where it's from
Native to Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast and Mexico Southwest
Recorded as introduced in Alabama, Argentina Northeast, Bahamas, Bangladesh and 23 more places
At a glance
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Growth
- Fast
- Placement
- Emersed — roots in water, leaves in air
- Temp
- 64–82°F
- 18–28°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- GH
- 36–357 ppm
- 2–20 dGH
Member photos
Photos are added when members log a tank with this species and upload a photo in their tank journal. Add your own tank to contribute.
No photos yet — add a tank with Purple Heart to be the first!
Sign in to vote.
Legality
No state or federal restrictions on record.
Not legal advice, and possibly incomplete or out of date. Rules vary by state and change over time; check with your state wildlife or agriculture agency before buying, keeping or shipping it.
The care information here is written with AI help, so it can contain mistakes. Spot one? Tell us and we'll fix it. Native range: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) (CC BY 4.0).
At a glance
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Growth
- Fast
- Placement
- Emersed — roots in water, leaves in air
- Temp
- 64–82°F18–28°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- GH
- 36–357 ppm2–20 dGH
Keepers’ experiences
Grow Purple Heart? Share how it's going.
Nobody has shared one yet. A few lines on how it has grown in your tank help the next keeper.