Asystasia, Chinese Creeping Foxglove (Asystasia gangetica)

Asystasia (Asystasia gangetica, Ganges primrose, Chinese violet, tropical violet, coromandel or creeping foxglove) is a pot herb that will delight foragers to the core with its abundant growth and vibrant, impossible-to-miss blooms. 

This climbing evergreen perennial is native to the outskirts of forests in parts of India, Malaysia, and Eastern Africa. Here, asystasia is a natural ground cover that can be distinguished by its various flowers in violet, yellow, and white. Asystasia is free-flowering, with extensive bloom time. In suitable conditions, it can potentially flower year-round. This is a sweet-scented option for large container growing, or land where vegetation is sparse. Given the opportunity to flourish, Asystasia gangetica can grow dense and become difficult to manage. 

Asystasia is a member of the Acanthaceae family, which is generally reported to contain beneficial chemical compounds like glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, fatty acid methyl esters and fatty acids. The chemical composition of Asystasia makes it a good contender for the color alchemy of natural, plant-based dyes.