The family is not well represented in Australia and Calostemma is the only wholly endemic genus. Calostemma purpureum is the most common member of the genus and occurs in western NSW, north-western Victoria and in South Australia. It is a well-known plant of the Riverina district, on both flood plains and rocky ridges. It has been grown in the Australian National Botanic Gardens for many years and has performed well, flowering each summer between January and March. Blooms are borne in an umbel of six to eighteen flowers on a leafless stem, 20-50 cm high.
Flower colour is a purplish red with a tube sometimes paler and the anthers yellow.
Each trumpet-shaped flower is held on a long, thin pedicel and is about 2 cm long. The plant makes an ideal rockery subject, taking up very little space but extending its flowering stem high enough to become obvious. Propagation is simple as the capsules often begin to shoot in storage before sowing. The germination mechanism is complex and will not be described here. No pests have been noted.