A social-media poster enlisted the help of internet users to identify a mysterious purple plant—unprepared for what would follow.
The Reddit poster, u/better-music-1707, shared an image of the foliage in the subreddit r/whatisit, where it received over 13,000 upvotes.
“What is this purple plant? Tastes like an onion,” the poster wrote. “Just realized I forgot to post the image in the previous post. Found this purple plant in my backyard, has a flower on it. have no clue what it is. If it helps, I’m in Long Island, NY,” they added.
Online sleuths were shocked to learn that the original poster had tasted the plant. Several commenters identified it as purple heart (Tradescantia pallida), which is considered mildly toxic.
To help clarify, expert Lucia Hechem, an agricultural engineer at the PlantIn plant-care app, told Newsweek:
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“This plant is a Tradescantia pallida, commonly known as purple heart or purple queen. The reason it might have tasted like onion is that many plants share similar compounds in their sap, which can make some flavors seem alike. However, that doesn’t mean they’re edible too!
“The sap of Tradescantia likely contains sulfurlike compounds, similar to those found in onions, garlic, or chives, which explains the confusion. It’s not recommended to eat plants unless you’re completely sure of their species. Tradescantia sap can irritate your skin or mouth.”
What Is Purple Heart?
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the U.K. says that Tradescantia pallida is a trailing, slightly succulent perennial that can grow to around 8 inches in height, with narrow oblong leaves up to 6 inches long. The foliage is glaucous (bluish-green) on top and purplish beneath, and, in summer, it bears three-petaled pink flowers about 0.8 to 1.2 inches across.
While Tradescantia pallida is not typically classified among edible garden plants, RHS guidance on edible flowers offers a useful contrast: common edible blooms include basil, chives, lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, pansies, and nasturtiums—plants whose blossoms are safely used in salads or as garnishes.
RHS also warns gardeners never to assume a flower or plant is edible.
The Reddit Reactions
Many users were quick to discourage the experiment:
“Don’t eat it, it’s mildly toxic,” posted u/Few_Vegetable_9939, identifying it as purple heart.
“My immediate thought, don’t taste plants when you don’t know what the f*** they are,” commented another user.
“If you can spell/read, you are way too old to be putting random, unknown objects in your mouth,” a third added.
“Tradescantia pallida. It’s technically edible, but you should probably stop eating it. It likes to soak up toxic metals from the soil,” warned a fourth.
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