The Latin specific epithet dyeriana honours the English botanist Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer (1843–1928).

[2] Growing to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and broad, it is a tropical evergreen shrub, cultivated for its dark green foliage with bright, metallic-purple stripes radiating outward from the central leaf vein.

[3] In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

[1][4] S. dyeriana is sold as a very common landscape plant due to its vibrant colors.

In order to produce a high quality version of this plant, it is best to use a 200 mg*L-1*N from a complete fertilizer.