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What is usually purple?

By: Author Color With Leo

What is usually purple?

Purple is a color that is often associated with royalty, spirituality, mystery, and magic. There are many things in nature and man-made objects that are commonly purple. In this article, we will explore some of the most common purple things.

Flowers

Many beautiful flowers in nature exhibit purple hues. Some examples include:

  • Lavender – This fragrant herb plant produces purple flowers that are used for essential oils and culinary purposes. The flowers have a light purple or “lavender” color.
  • Iris – These flowers come in many colors but purple irises are especially common. The tall purple blooms have been depicted in art for centuries.
  • Lilac – Lilac shrubs produce stunning clusters of light purple flowers in spring that have a lovely scent.
  • Violet – These tiny wildflowers are purple with 5 petals and grow close to the ground.
  • Orchid – Orchids come in every color but vivid purple orchid blooms are a favorite.
  • Hyacinth – Hyacinths are bulb flowers that produce dense purple and pink flower spikes.
  • Petunia – These popular garden flowers include many purple varieties such as ‘Purple Wave’ and ‘Purple Haze.’

Purple is a common color for flowers as it helps attract pollinating birds and insects. The pigments that create purple hues also offer protection against intense sunlight. That’s why so many wildflowers exhibit purple shades.

Fruits & Vegetables

A range of fruits and vegetables, particularly dark berries, edible flowers, and leafy greens display rich purple pigments:

  • Eggplant – Eggplant skins and flesh are a deep purple and contain antioxidants called anthocyanins.
  • Purple cabbage – This green cabbage gets a purple makeover when anthocyanins are present.
  • Purple cauliflower – A variant of white cauliflower where cross-breeding has resulted in purple heads.
  • Purple carrots – Usually orange, carrots also occur in other colors when pigments differ, like purple.
  • Purple sweet potato – This starchy tuber has purple skin and flesh.
  • Purple asparagus – A breed of asparagus with purple spears rather than green.
  • Purple berries – Blackberries, blueberries, acai berries, and others contain purple pigments.
  • Purple corn – Some corn varieties have kernels that are deep purple when harvested.
  • Purple basil – Dark opal basil has edible deep purple leaves.
  • Purple tomatillos – These small fruits are surrounded by a purple husk when ripe.

The purple color usually comes from anthocyanins, which are antioxidant plant compounds. They often develop in fruits and veggies as a protective response to environmental stresses like drought, cold, or sun exposure. The deep color helps block out damaging light rays to preserve nutrients and moisture.

Gemstones

There are several precious and semi-precious gemstones that exhibit purple hues:

  • Amethyst – This popular purple gemstone is the birthstone for February. Amethyst ranges from pale lavender to deep violet.
  • Sugilite – This rare pinkish-purple stone is prized for its striking color.
  • Purple garnet – Though red is the most common, garnets form in other colors like purple.
  • Charoite – This unique mineral is a light violet color with swirling patterns.
  • Lepidolite – An uncommon mica mineral that is pinkish-purple containing lithium.
  • Tanzanite – This blue and violet gemstone is only found in Tanzania, Africa.

Trace impurities and structural properties are responsible for the purple tones in these crystals. Purple gems are associated with spirituality, mystery, and creativity. Amethyst in particular has significance in religions across the world.

Textiles & Dyes

For centuries, purple fabric dyes were rare and expensive to produce. Purple fabric was associated with royalty and wealth. Today purple dyes are more accessible thanks to modern chemistry. Some common purple textiles and dyes include:

  • Royal purple – In antiquity, Tyrian purple dye from sea snails was highly prized for robes.
  • Violet dye – Plant sources like lichen, elderberries, logwood, and others create violet dyes.
  • Mauveine dye – The first synthetic aniline dye produced a light purple mauve color.
  • Lilac fabric – Light purple fabric like lilac and lavender is common for spring clothes.
  • Purple velvet – Luxurious velvet is produced in rich purple for furnishings and clothing.
  • Indigo – When overdyed, indigo blue can create purple shades on textiles.

Purple continues to be a popular color for fabrics and textiles. It combines the calm of blue with the energy of red. Dark purple shades convey luxury while light purples are playful and feminine.

Foods & Drinks

Vibrant purple foods and drinks are popular for their visual appeal and antioxidant benefits:

  • Purple sweet potatoes – Steaming purple sweet potato flesh turns dishes purple.
  • Purple rice – There are varieties of black rice that turn purple when cooked.
  • Ube – This purple yam from the Philippines flavors desserts and drinks.
  • Purple corn – Ancient purple corn can be ground into flour or juice.
  • Thanakha juice – Created from purple flowers, this juice is popular in Myanmar.
  • Purple cabbage sauerkraut – Fermenting purple cabbage creates a purple probiotic food.
  • Dragon fruit – This tropical fruit has magenta pink flesh with black seeds.
  • Purple cocktails – Vodka, gin, and other liquors get a purple makeover with fruit juices.
  • Purple smoothies – Blending berries, purple sweet potatoes, or ube makes a purple smoothie.

Vibrant purple foods and drinks are taking over social media feeds and restaurant menus. The colors come from plant pigments like anthocyanins. Besides looking fun, purple foods pack extra antioxidants.

Plants

With their purple leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit, these plants showcase the color purple beautifully:

  • Purple shamrock – Deep purple leaves make this a lucky houseplant.
  • Purple heart – Tradescantia plants have leaves and stems in various purple tones.
  • Purple fountain grass – This grass has upright burgundy foliage and plumes.
  • Purple coneflower – Echinacea flowers have purple ray petals and spiky centers.
  • Purple basil – Dark opal basil has vivid purple leaves and flowers.
  • Purple sage – Some salvia plants have stunning purple foliage.
  • Purple barberry – Barberry shrubs have cultivars with purple leaves.
  • Purple passion vine – Passion flower vines produce exotic purple blooms.
  • Jacaranda – These trees erupt in purple blooms in tropical climates.

Purple leaves contain anthocyanins which protect the plant from intense light. Purple flowers attract pollinators. Growers are also developing more plants with purple foliage just for aesthetics and contrast in the garden.

Animals

While it’s rarer in the animal kingdom, some animals exhibit beautiful purple and violet tones in their bodies and features:

  • Purple frog – This endangered frog species found in India has bloated purple body.
  • Violet sabertooth shrimp – This deep sea crustacean has a translucent violet body.
  • Purple sea urchin – Their spines are purple at the tips when found off the coast of California.
  • Violet jellyfish – These ethereal jellies pulse through the water with purple bodies.
  • Julia butterfly – Flapping black wings reveal a vivid iridescent purple sheen.
  • Sea slugs – Species like the purple sea hare have vibrant purple venation.
  • Violet goby – These tiny fish found near the Mariana Trench are violet.
  • Violet bird of paradise – In certain lights their black feathers appear tinted purple.

Unlike plants, animals don’t produce purple pigments for survival purposes. Their purple hues come from structural colors which refract light. It’s a way of camouflaging or attracting mates in nature.

Minerals & Crystals

In addition to purple gemstones, other extraordinary minerals and crystals showcase purple shades:

  • Fluorite – This mineral forms in purple cubic crystals in certain locations.
  • Purple halite – Rock salt can take on a light purple hue when mined.
  • Purple sulfur – In volcanic regions, condensed sulfur creates alien purple crystals.
  • Lavender jade – A variety of nephrite jade that ranges from white to purple.
  • Lithium crystals – When lithium combusts, it creates stunning purple crystals.
  • Purple chalcedony – A type of quartz mineral that forms in purple banded agate.
  • Lepidolite – Mica mineral that is actually pinkish purple containing lithium.
  • Purpurite – This rare purple manganese phosphate mineral.

Trace elements and minerals result in the purple color in rocks and crystals. Lepidolite and fluorite actually have important industrial uses thanks to the elements they contain.

Man-Made Objects

Humans have created many vibrant purple objects thanks to artificial dyes and pigments:

  • Purple paint – Ultramarine blue and crimson red make vibrant purple paint.
  • Purple dye – Synthetic dyes like mauveine and lycra dye fabric purple.
  • Purple construction paper – Colored purple with dyes for crafts and school projects.
  • Purple plastics – Plastics are easily dyed any shade, including purple.
  • Purple printer ink – Magenta and blue mix to make purple ink for printing.
  • Purple makeup – Eyeshadow, lipstick, nail polish come in every purple shade.
  • Purple candy – Artificial grape and berry flavors create purple candy.
  • Purple play dough – A mix of blue and red dyes makes play dough purple.
  • Purple chalk – Sidewalk chalk and classroom chalk come in purple.

Thanks to the availability of synthetic purple dyes, humans are able to easily color almost anything purple. The color is popular for media, packaging, toys, cosmetics, crafts, and more.

Purple in Nature

In the natural world, the color purple is relatively uncommon. Unlike other colors on the visible spectrum like green, yellow, orange, red, and blue, purple rarely occurs without human intervention. There are only a handful of minerals, crystals, animals, and flowers that exhibit natural purple hues. This is because purple pigments rarely offer an evolutionary advantage in nature. Green, yellow, orange and red colors in plants and animals often play important roles attracting pollinators, providing camouflage and absorbing the right light wavelengths. In the plant world, purple flowers have an advantage standing out to attract pollinators. Edible purple fruits and vegetables contain protective antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins. But overall, purple is less common in the wild than other colors on the visual spectrum. That’s why Tyrian purple dye made from sea snails was so highly prized in antiquity before synthetic dyes were invented. This rarity in nature contributes to purple’s mystique and associations with royalty and spirituality across cultures. Uncommon green minerals like amethysts and fluorite crystals were believed to have magical and healing properties. Today the color purple retains those regal and spiritual connotations. Purple has also become more accessible through synthetic dyes used in everything from textiles to foods to cosmetics. Modern chemistry has made one of nature’s rarest colors easy for humans to produce and surround themselves with. But purple still feels special because it remains relatively uncommon in the natural world.

Conclusion

The color purple is quite unique as it rarely appears in nature without human coaxing. But humans have come to love, covet and replicate this elusive color. While purple flowers, fruits, minerals and animals are less common than other colors, they tend to be quite striking, often appearing magical or otherworldly. The natural rarity of purple is part of its appeal and associations with royalty, luxury and spirituality across cultures. Today synthetic dyes make vibrant purple easy to produce in our artificial environments. We surround ourselves with purple fabrics, paints, plastics, foods, cosmetics and more. purple retains an aura of specialness while also being fun, playful and modern. From ancient treasures like Tyrian purple dye and amethyst jewels to today’s ube desserts and violet cocktails, purple stands out as an uncommon hue with a profound allure.