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Callisia fragrans (Basket Plant) - A low growing perennial with 6- to 10-inch-long waxy green leaves arranged alternately with the bases overlapping so tightly that they appear to be in rosettes. The leaves have a slight purplish color underneath and on the upper margins when in bright light. Trailing stems grow out over the ground or upward with support. When in bloom in summer months the small, white fragrant flowers arranged in clusters of three in terminal panicles rise up on 2 foot tall spikes.
Best planted in well-drained soil that is regularly irrigated in part sun to shade (purple color best with more light). Flourishes in warm subtropical climates but can tolerate a mild frost in the cooler winters of coastal California. Makes a good groundcover in mild climates and is good in a hanging basket. In bright light it lays flat and takes on the look of a cluster of bromeliads but when in deeper shade it grows upright and more closely resembles a small Dracaena.
Callisia fragrans comes from central Mexico south to Columbia and it has naturalized in many subtropical areas where it is considered to be a garden weed and there often referred to as Inch Plant for the tendency to inch out on its stems, which root on contact with moist soil. This spreading nature has led some to also call it Octopus Plant. The name for the genus is derived from the Greek word 'kallos' meaning "beauty" and the specific epithet is a reference to the fragrant flowers. In some parts of the world it is used as an herbal to treat a wide array of maladies. Tradescantia dracaenoides, an invalid botanical name, and the common name, false bromeliad, are both associated with this plant. We first received this plant in 2003 from the Horticulture Department at the University of Florida, Gainesville. There is a large patch of this plant growing along the base of the slope of the Tropical Garden at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. We also grow the stunning purple flowering
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