PlantFiles: Beefsteak Plant
Iresine herbstii 'Brilliantissima'

not really sure how this variety of Iresine differs from other red-pink-leaved varieties, but perhaps this is a taller one? I the label I got on my plant said it grew to 18", yet the plant that came in the pot was already 30" tall, and it has since grown to 6' (though very stretch from perhaps a bit too much shade). I ditto the comments about watering.. it does have a lot of 'give' when it comes to dehydrating it, and comes back in just an hour.

A great plant for those of us who can not tell when to water. If the plant needs water the leaves start to droop and if not watered within one day the whole plant begins to droop. The good news is that after watering a badly drooping plant it perks up in about two hours and is fine in about 6 hours. Beside the ease of care, the best thing is the color of the leaves.

Very beautiful dark pinkish-purpleish-red foliage. Thrives in my shady north-facing windowbox that gets only 2 hours of sun per day in the late afternoon.