Red Crystallinum x Dressleri aka 'Plum Dinosaur'

I purchased this plant from Boram, owner and founder of Greenhues. I named this particular plant “Plum Dinosaur” for its deep color and rough, raised patches across the leaves.

Plum Dinosaur did not make growing her easy. As a young plant, she struggled repeatedly with root rot and other setbacks. I spent a long time trying to get her established, and now she has more than made up for that temperamental start. Each new leaf puts on a show. It emerges a strong, iridescent purple, shifts into the deep plum seen here, and eventually hardens off to nearly black. The blade is broad and substantial, with veins that rise above its uneven surface. Between them are patches of pronounced, rough bullation that catch the light at different angles. That almost prehistoric texture, paired with the plum color, made her name feel inevitable.

She’s one of the plants I’m most excited to share. I love every stage of her color, but it’s the texture that makes me stop and look twice. After all the trouble she gave me as a seedling, watching a new purple leaf unfurl feels especially rewarding.