Luscious Reds and Wines
From a distance, it's hard to distinguish many of the cultivars, but close examination of the leaves show difference between them as well as within them. These are plants that reward close inspection.
In this scan of an actual leaf of 'Plum Pudding', you can see that it's a good deal more wine than blue-purple, which it appears to be in the photos of the whole plant. This is, I think, due to the shiny, reflective nature of the leaf surface and the propensity of camera film to read reds and blues strangely, as well as the changes that take place as the leaves age. The scan is of one of the newer leaves - the older ones are huge and somewhat less ruffly.
'Regal Robe' has a similar leaf shape to 'Plum Pudding', but the coloration is quite different. Except on newer leaves, green is dominant. The natural sheen of the leaf gives the appearance of a silver overlay, but in reality the almost black veins have a purple tint and the "windows" between them are a soft gray-green. As you can see, the new leaves exhibit more purple. And, like all of these plants with any reds in them, the reverse of the leaf takes the particular shade of red and enriches it. When tousled by breezes, the leaves flaunt these otherwise hidden banners, and when backlit, the rich color infuses the entire leaf.
I've ended up with two plants of 'Ruby Veil'; one is in the ground and the other in a pot. It is probable that I got the second one, not remembering the names I'd already acquired, because they appear so different. This is the one in the ground. The leaves are shallowly scalloped, rather large, beautifully marked and show the characteristic difference in color between older and newer leaves.
My newer 'Ruby Veil', living in a pot, has much smaller leaves, much more scalloped and displaying three distinct color variations. The reddest is the newest leaf. It becomes darker veined with more silvery "windows", while the oldest leaves take on a greener cast.
Completely different are the leaves growing on the 'Ruby Veil' flower stem. These are small, only slightly scalloped and a uniform deep burgundy in color. Stems match this coloration. You can see what I mean when I say the flowers aren't terribly exciting. I rather think they would be more effective in massed plants than in single specimens.
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