Little Purple Shamrock

In June, 2010, I visited my Dad (he lives about 6 hours away). He has a green thumb, and lots of gorgeous indoor and outdoor plants, and I admired this huge, blooming purple shamrock plant he had in the breakfast room - I had never seen anything like it! He asked if I'd like to take a piece home to try, but then he laughed and told me I probably couldn't keep it alive long enough to get home with it! Thanks, Dad!

He dug up a (very) small piece with roots, and some soil, and we put it in a paper cup, wrapped in some moist paper towels, and put all that in a ziploc bag. I replanted it once I got home, and 2 months later, this is how it looked:

It had put out 2 new leaves - the reddish ones at the bottom with no purple coloration yet.

This plant loves direct sunlight, and also loves water. If I forget to water it often enough, it droops very sadly, but a brisk watering will revive it. It blooms with delicate white flowers on long stems.

Here is my little purple shamrock today:

I took it outside for a prettier photo; it needs to be repotted - maybe I'll get to that someday.... but look how it's growing! The leaves (?) - or whatever you call the purple shamrock things, are huge! At the end of the day they fold inward, sort of like the ones at the bottom left are doing.

It's my only houseplant. I am a proud indoor gardener!