Plants With Red Stems & Green Leaves: Houseplants or Garden Plants

A majority of garden plants have green stems and leaves of varying shades or hues. Fewer plant families have stems and leaves of different colors on the same plant. For example, certain plants may have red, reddish, dark-red or tinge-red stems but green leaves.

Red stemmed plants is commonly attributed to genetics. Pink, red or purple color in leaves is due to plant pigments called anthocyanins. These natural phenomena make such plants more important, attractive and bring the uniqueness of their own, especially when planted in the garden.

Red Stems But Green Leaves

Identifying these red stem plants isn’t difficult. However, look-alike plant species can bring confusion or be dangerous. Even though, identification is still possible through scientific classification and spotting distinct physical characteristics. Growing zones, habitats, habits among other distinguishing features are helpful too.

Below is a descriptive list of garden or houseplants with red stems whose leaves are green.

1) Prostrate Pigweed (Amaranthus blitoides)

Commonly known as prostrate pigweed, Amaranthus blitoides is a weed plant that belongs to the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae).

Physical Identity

Growth Form/height: Members of this family grow up to 2 feet tall.

Stems: Prostrate pigweed have light green to reddish stems.

Leaves: Have a shinny dark-green color. There are more leaves toward the end of each stem.

Flowering: This plant species produce flowers from July to August. When these flowers develop they are either male or female. However, members of this plant family can produce both sexes.

Other Common Names

White pigweed, tumble pigweed or tumbleweed.

2) Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium)

Stems of the redstem filaree plant are tinted red. Erodium cicutarium is a garden turf grass weed. They are also production field weeds.

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3) Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea L. ssp. sericea)

Red Osier Dogwood is a shrub that belongs to cornaceae family of the dogwood. This shrub is dicotyledonous, hard and woody.

Physical Identity

Leaves: Red Osier Dogwood has oval green leaves.

Stems: They are characteristic bright red.

Flowers: They are small and flat. With an umbrella-like shape, these flowers comprise white petals in a cluster. Just underneath these petals are oval leaves although they are not characteristic of bracts.

Fruits: Are small, green berry-like fruits that turn white as they develop.

Summary

People in regions with habitats that support Red Osier Dogwood growth have used the woody stems for various purposes. Mainly basketry and making other farm implements. And these practices have gone on for very many years.

Indian Americans used to use the leaves as a tobacco alternative. Notably, because the plant has a narcotic after-use effect.

4) Elephant Ears Red Stem (Portulacaria afra)

Popularly known as elephant food, Portulacaria afra, is a perennial succulent. It is very popular in South Africa. This wild plant loves growing in well-drained fertile soils if it has to thrive.

Physical Identity

Leaves: Are flat, fleshy, and oval-to-round shaped. The elephant ears red stem has green leaves which remain nearly evergreen.

Stems: Look reddish. They are generally softwoods although the inner stem structure is woodier. This succulent has multiples of branches and stems.

Flowers: Elephant Bush produces numerous tiny pink or white flowers. These flowers are borne at the ends of the branches that grow from the main stem. They form a cluster and come early in the summer or late spring.

Fruits: Pink berry-like fruits that are also dry. Each berry contains a single seed.

Other Common Names

Elephant bush, elephant plant ears, dwarf jade, miniature jade, or small leaf jade. NOTE: This succulent is not related to the jade plant.

Summary

The Elephant Bush is an important garden plant grown as a houseplant. It has low maintenance requirements. It can also be grown outdoors on the ground.

Compared to many houseplants, the elephant bush is more effective in taking or removing carbon from the air. The plant tolerates drought and thrives in full or partial sun.

In South Africa, the leaves and young shoots are edible. People eat them in salads or soups. This succulent was also used as traditional medicine.

Gardeners in the Midwest grow elephant bush in baskets as opposed to the ground. The best indoor location is normally the windows facing the South, Eastern or Western. Besides it being edible for human consumption, elephants and goats feed on them too.

5) Mountain Pepper (Drimys aromatica)

Also commonly known as Tasmanian pepperberry, the mountain pepper is a shrub.

Physical Identity

Leaves: They are deep evergreen and oval in shape. These leaves appear leathery.

Stems: Slight red to purple. They are sturdy too.

Flowers: Flowers of the Drimys aromatica are small, cream-white or pale yellow. They usually bloom late in the winter and early in the spring. These flowers are produced in clusters

Fruits: This shrub plant bears dark-red shining two-lobed berry fruits. They turn black on ripening.

Summary

The Mountain pepper is native to Tasmania. It grows in acidic soils. The shoots can grow to a height of 4 meters when the plant has matured.

The leaves are edible and used as a spice to add flavor to food. These leaves have the scent of cinnamon. They also leave a hot, pepper-like sensation.

6) Japanese Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)

Wineberries are perennial shrubs of the wild. These shrubs are deciduous and woody. They are known for their rapid and fast-spreading growth (invasive).

Physical Identity of Japanese Wineberry

Leaves: Are large and green (compound leaves) with 3 or 5 leaflets arranged on either side of the unbranching stem. The surface under the Japanese wineberry leaves has a silvery-white appearance.

Stems: Wineberries have stems characteristic of canes. On these stems grow closely arranged (glandular) reddish hairs. There are also prickling structures along the them. The stems together with their shoots can grow 6 ft. long. Unlike other plants of the genus which bear berries, the canes of these Japanese wineberries are reddish.

Flowers: They occur on side shoots that emerge from the “cane” stems in late spring. These flowers comprise a bristly calyx and purple-red to pink petals.

Fruits: Wineberry plants bear bright red or orange berries. These berries are borne in summer or early autumn.

Summary

Wineberries are hardy to USDA Zone 5, with a minimum negative temperature of (-20F). They do well in wasteland habitats. They can be found growing along orchards plantations and by roadsides. In the United States, Rubus phoenicolasius are wild plants found mainly in the Appalachian Mountains.

They were initially introduced in North America in the 1890s. Currently, the shrubs are found growing in the Alabama and Mississippi States of the US. They belong to the same plant genus as raspberries and blackberries. And they are edible.

7) Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)

Native to the Himalayas regions between Kashmir and Uttarakhand, the Impatiens glandulifera is a large annual plant.

Like the wineberry, Himalayan balsam grows rapidly and does spread quickly if allowed to grow in the wild. It is a bad and problematic plant. It can all of a sudden invade your beautiful garden.

Physical Identity

Leaves: They are narrow and oval but taper to either end tips. This makes them look like the head of a lance (see picture).

Stems: Family members of this plant have either green or red-tinged stems. They are naturally soft.

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Flowers: Admirable pink flowers with a hood-shape familiarised with that of a policeman’s hat. Flowering comes between June and October each year.

Fruits: Are produced in green pods.

Other Common Names

Indian balsam, jumping jack or policeman’s helmet, bobby tops, copper tops and gnome’s hatstand.

Summary

Himalayan balsam is adapted to low lighting. Thus, can kill and replace other vegetation quite easily in its growing habitat (riverbanks, woodlands and wastelands). The Himalayan balsam is one of Europe’s (including the UK) invasive plant weeds.

Despite its young foliage, shoots and pods being edible, this plant is a serious weed. However, the plant is widely grown for its flowers.

8) Common Pokeweed­ (Phytolacca americana)

Common poke weeds are perennial herbs. They are non-woody and grow upright up to 10 feet.

Physical Identity

Leaves: The plant itself is a cotyledon. Therefore it first produces cotyledon leaves. These ‘first leaves’ have an egg-like shape. The tips of cotyledon leaves are purple with a reddish underside. The leaves of a mature pokeweed plant are normally green.

Stems: The common pokeweed has a characteristic purplish-red stem. There are no stem hairs. A cross-section cut of the stems shows they grow either oval or round-shaped.

Flowers: Are pink with white or pink-tinged sepals. These herbs produce flowers from mid-summer to late fall.

Fruit: The common pokeweed bears small, green berries. When ripe they turn purple.

Other Common Names

Pokeberry, inkberry or pigeon berry.

Summary

Pokeweeds are poisonous herbs. The roots, stems, flowers and leaves (except the berries) contain saponic glycosides. Saponic glycosides are toxic compounds. This makes them very dangerous herbs.

The seeds can live on the ground and still germinate after 3 decades.

9) Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

This is another reddish-stemmed herbaceous annual plant. The common purslane is classified as a purslane family.

Physical ID – Characteristics

Leaves: Are broader with rounded leaf tips (spoon-shaped leaves). This plant bears alternate leaves from the stem joints. The very young leaves have reddish edges but common purslane leaves are majorly succulent green.

Flowers: Common purslanes have small (1/4 an inch wide) yellow flowers borne during very moist growing seasons. Flowering is characteristic of short-time blooming.

Fruits and Seeds: Capsule fruit types develop from the flowers. Inside these fruits are very small dark-black seeds.

Summary

The common purslane leaves are mostly edible. As a garden plant, Portulaca oleracea is grown as a veg or together with other vegetables. Across the growing habitats and regions, the plant has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years for food and as a medicinal plant. This plant is still cultivated in many places today.

10) Red-Stemmed Thalia (Thalia geniculata)

Growing as tall as 8 feet (3m), Red-stemmed Thalia is a herbaceous shrubby plant known to grow quickly. The stems are characteristic of stalk. They are solid-red.

Thalia geniculata grow in aquatic habitat such as water-logged areas and along pond edges. As a garden plant, Red-Stemmed Thalia can be introduced and planted on swimming poolsides. They can also grow in containers.

Red Stem Houseplants

Below is a list of common names of natural reddish or red-hued stem houseplants. They include:

• Elephant bush
• Cranberry taro
• Red-stemmed begonia
• Cheilocostus lacerus ‘Red Stem’

• Iresine Herbstii

The stem and leaf color of many varieties of Iresine herbstii usually match. The variety in this picture has bright red stems and leaves.

Are your plant stems turning red? A sudden rise or fall in indoor temperature, light intensity and stress may account for certain houseplant stems turning red.

Sources & References

1. Redroot Pigweed—Amaranthus retroflexus. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/gotpests/weeds/pigweed.htm. Accessed online 29 September 2021
2. Cornus sericea L. ssp. sericea Cornus sericea L. ssp. Sericea. United States Department of Agriculture. https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=COSES. Accessed online 29 September 2021
3. Red Pigments by Arlene Hoskins. American Begonia Society. https://www.begonias.org/Articles/Vol70/Red_Pigments.htm. Accessed online 29 September 2021
4. Thalia geniculata (red-stemmed). https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/3/3373. Accessed online 29 September 2021