Commelin family. The genus has more than 70 species - herbaceous perennials. Homeland Central, South America and North America (from Argentina to Canada), climatic zones from 9 to 12. Some species are considered endangered and protected (e.g. Tradescantia occidentalis). The genus tradescantia is named after the English naturalist, gardener and collector John Tradescant Sr. John Tradescant the elder. He was the principal royal gardener, traveling extensively and bringing in seeds, cuttings or bulbs of the rarest exotic plants from each trip, and collecting rare specimens through American colonists.
Tradescantia is a very famous and unpretentious plant. It grows in warm and cool rooms; in well-lit and shaded places, but in low light, the leaves lose their color brightness. Very easily propagated by cuttings in spring, autumn or summer. Cuttings are planted several pieces in a pot, watered moderately, but often sprayed. Used as ampel plants. Tradescantia has one drawback - it quickly grows, i.e. after a year or two, the plant loses its decorativeness if the conditions are not good enough for it. Therefore, if this happens, it is better to renew the plant by throwing away the old one and planting new cuttings taken from it in 8-9 cuttings in one pot.
Tradescantia zebrina or striped Tradescantia Zebrina is the homeland of Mexico, distributed naturally to Florida, grows in moist deciduous forests. Shoots creeping 60-80 cm long, leaves alternate, oval in shape, pointed at the end, up to 7 cm long. The stems and underside of the leaves are purple (purple), the upper side is bicolored - wide dark green and silver stripes, with a silky sheen. The flowers are three-lobed, lilac in color.
Tradescantia spathacea is the new name for Reo (Rhoeo discolor or Rhoeo spathacea). Previously, Reo was separated into a separate genus, now it is a species of the genus Tradescantia. See details
Tradescantia striped tradescantia zebrina cultivar 'Violet Hill'
Tradescantia spathacea
Tradescantia spathacea variety 'Sitara'Tradescantia crassula is a native of Brazil. It is distinguished by thick, juicy, succulent stems, creeping, 60-80 cm long. The leaves are alternate, oblong or elliptical, narrowed at the end, up to 15 cm long, the leaf vagina tightly covers the stem, the internodes are short. This species loves high humidity, with moderate dryness of the soil, shade-tolerant.
Tradescantia fluminensis is a native of the tropical forests of Southeast Brazil, the river is named for its habitats - in the coastal zone, near water bodies. Stems 60-90 cm long, semi-succulent, juicy, fragile. The leaves are oval, pointed at the end, 2.5 to 7 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, green above, gray-silver on the back. Leaves are spineless, the base of the leaf tightly embraces the stem. The flowers are white, with three petals, 7-10 mm in diameter. Varieties with dark green leaves are extremely shade-tolerant, variegated varieties require bright scattered lighting. It is usually not difficult to grow, in its homeland - in Brazil and Argentina it is considered a weed, easily spreads over cultivated fields and clogs crop plantings.
Tradescantia crassula
Tradescantia is a hybrid of fluminensis and Tradescantia crassula 'Quicksilver'
Tradescantia fluminensisCurrently, there is a lot of confusion in the classification of tradescantia, description and name of varieties. Firstly, Tradescantia white-flowered Tradescantia albiflora - previously stood out as a separate species, now it is an obsolete synonym, the correct name for Tradescantia fluminensis. This decision is based on the identity of the cellular structure, the structure of flowers.
Secondly, there are several variegated varieties, all characterized by a beautiful, almost mirrored sheen of leaves, although they have short hairs on the leaves, almost invisible. Most of these cultivars are assigned to the species Tradescantia fluminensis, which is not entirely true. European botanists and collectors suggest that some varieties are obtained from the hybridization of the varieties Tradescantia fluminensis and Tradescantia crassula, for example, the variety 'Quicksilver'. It is incorrect to classify it as tradescantia thick or exclusively riverine. Doubts exist about other varieties, but the infusion of blood from the tradition of the fat is determined by the juicy succulent stem.
Tradescantia fluminensis' Variegata '- stems and reverse side of leaves medium green, upper side of leaves white with green stripes.
Tradescantia hybrid fluminensis x crassula Variety 'Quicksilver' - stems and leaves on the back are gray-green, silvery narrow stripes on the upper surface. It is not entirely correct to call it a variety of Prirechnaya tradescantia, since it is supposedly a hybrid of variegated Prirechnaya tradescantia and Tolstyanka tradescantia.
Tradescantia fluminensis' Maiden's Blush 'is distinguished by a very original variegation: young leaves are pink, or almost white, leaves lower - white-pink at the base to the middle, and green at the ends.
Tradescantia hybrid fluminensis x zebrina 'Rainbow Hill' is a variation of quadricolor (tricolor), a hybrid of the two species - the stems and underside of the leaves are purple, lilac, the upper side of the leaves is green with broad white stripes, the flowers are white or lilac.
Tradescantia fluminensis' Yellow Hill '- stems and underside medium green, upper side green with wide cream, white and yellowish stripes.
Tradescantia fluminensis' Yellow Hill '
Tradescantia riverine tradescantia fluminensisvariation Quadricolor, cultivar 'Rainbow Hill'
Tradescantia fluminensis' Variegata'Tradescantia care
Temperature: Moderate, optimal 24-26 ° С. Winter minimum 10-12 ° C, although in the historical homeland temperatures drop and below, almost to 2-4 ° C, tradescantia winter perfectly in ordinary home conditions. True, in this case, spring circumcision and rooting of the tops of shoots that stretched out over the winter and lost their decorative appearance are added to the usual care of tradescences.
Lighting: Tradescantia is considered undemanding to light, but this only applies to plants with dark green leaves. All variegated varieties and varieties are photophilous, it is desirable for them to receive a certain amount of direct sunlight (east or west window).
Watering: Quite plentiful from spring to autumn - the soil should be slightly moist all the time, without excessive dampness, watering is more moderate in winter when the temperature drops. The soil periodically needs to be loosened to avoid decay.
Fertilizer: From March to August, they are fed with fertilizer for indoor deciduous plants every two to three weeks.
Air humidity: Tradescantia historically come from very moist habitats, one name "riverine" says it all. They love very humid air, optimally about 60%. Unfortunately, they often try to compensate for the lack of high humidity with abundant frequent irrigation, which is completely wrong. In the nature of tradescantia, ground cover plants with an exclusively superficial root system. The land is covered with forest litter, leaf litter, very loose and breathable, so the roots do not rot. In apartments, tradescantia are especially affected in the winter heating season.
Transplantation: The soil for tradescantia should be well drained and nutritious, neutral or slightly acidic. A mixture of 2 parts of forest land, 1 part of humus, 1 part of coarse river sand is perfect. You can buy a universal soil in the store, add 3 part of vermiculite to 1 of it. On the bottom of the plastic pot, be sure to pour a layer of drainage about 2 cm. Choose pots wide, but not deep, with holes in the bottom.
Propagation of tradescantia
Tradescantia is easily propagated by stem cuttings at any time of the year, in water. Roots appear within a week or two, in winter, if there is little light for longer, but still tradescantia undoubtedly has an incredible thirst for life. When the roots in a glass of water grow 4-5 cm, you can plant plants in pots in the ground as for adult plants. To keep the bush lush, plant several cuttings in one pot.
Growing problems
With age, most tradescantia tend to get naked and lose their initially healthy appearance and dense foliage, this is genetically determined - in nature, tradescantia is a creeping plant, it does not need to have a lush bush, it crawls and takes root in a new place. Due to the rapid overgrowth, annual rejuvenation by cuttings is recommended. In spring, all branches are cut, rooted in water and re-planted in fresh soil, you can plant all cuttings in one pot, as they grew, you can divide. In any case, plants quickly gain strength and are made thicker and more beautiful than they were. Also, we must not forget to feed tradescantia a month after transplantation.
Brown dry leaf tips - when the air is too dry indoors, especially in winter, during the heating season.
Flaccid stems, leaves dry brown tips with yellowness - if the ground is very dry. When watering with cold water.
The stems stretch, the leaves grind, the plant loses its decorative attractiveness - with an acute lack of light, or a lack of nutrients in the soil.
Variegated forms lose their color - with a lack of lighting.
The stems at the base are soft and acquire a brownish tint - decay of the stem due to waterlogging of the soil, especially if the temperature is low. You can cut off the healthy part, they easily take root even in winter.