Escancel – Iresine herbstii

Escancel grows abundantly on my land here in southern Ecuador, and it is impossible not to notice her. The leaves are such a deep burgundy-red, threaded with brilliant pink veins, that they stand out beautifully against all the different greens of the garden. When several plants grow together, they create these wonderful patches of colour that almost seem to glow.

Known botanically as Iresine herbstii and sometimes called Bloodleaf in English, Escancel belongs to the Amaranth family. Here in Ecuador she is much more than an ornamental plant. Escancel has a history of traditional use and is associated with the herbal traditions of southern Ecuador, including the colourful horchata mixtures for which Loja is so well known. Those extraordinary red and purple pigments come from the plant’s own rich chemistry, making the leaves as interesting medicinally and nutritionally as they are beautiful to look at.

Escancel has traditionally been used as a gentle herbal plant associated with circulation, digestion and general nourishment. Like many traditional Ecuadorian herbs, she has never really belonged in a single category of “medicine” or “garden plant.” She grows around homes and gardens, contributes colour and diversity to the landscape, becomes part of traditional preparations, and continues to live within the everyday relationship between people, plants and land.

In the garden, Escancel loves the warm conditions we have here. She grows well in fertile, living soil with regular moisture and can tolerate both sun and some partial shade. The richer the growing conditions, the fuller and more vibrant the foliage can become. She can be trimmed to encourage branching and is also easily propagated from cuttings, making her a wonderful plant for creating borders, patches of colour or simply allowing to weave herself naturally through a garden.

On my land, I mostly allow her to grow where she chooses. She has become part of the landscape here, emerging among the greens and adding those extraordinary reds that make the garden feel even more alive. Plants like Escancel remind me that diversity in a garden is not only about how many species we grow. It is about creating layers of colour, chemistry, habitat, root relationships and life both above and below the soil.

Interestingly, Escancel is not included in the current edition of my Ecuador wild plant book. At the time I was writing it, I was still working through the identification of several plants known primarily by their local names, and Escancel was one of them. Now that I am growing her abundantly, observing her on my own land and learning more about her traditional use here in Ecuador, she will definitely be included in the next edition. There is always another plant waiting to tell its story.