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inchplant, wandering-jew

Buckley's spiderwort

Habit Herbs, decumbent.
Roots

tuberous, tufted.

Stems

loosely branched, to 50 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

2-ranked;

blade variegated, abaxially reddish purple, adaxially striped green and white, lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 3–9 × 1.5–3 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), base oblique, cuneate, apex acute to acuminate.

spirally arranged;

blade not variegated, elliptic, to 12 × 3.5 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), succulent, base symmetric, rounded to broadly cuneate, margins ciliolate, apex acute, glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal, consisting of pairs of sessile cymes enclosed in sheaths of spathaceous bracts, pedunculate; spathaceous bracts foliaceous, reduced.

terminal, pedunculate;

peduncles 3–5.5 cm;

bracts similar to leaves but somewhat smaller.

Flowers

subsessile;

sepals basally connate, 4–5 mm;

petals pink, clawed, claws basally connate forming tube;

stamens epipetalous;

filaments bearded.

subsessile;

pedicels 0.7–0.8 cm, glabrous except for long silky hairs at summit;

sepals distinct, base densely pilose, other surfaces sparsely pilose;

petals ovate, clawed, 1 cm, claws basally connate forming tube, limb pale pink or whitish;

stamens epipetalous;

filaments bearded, antipetalous filament epipetalous, connective orange, broad;

ovary densely bearded.

Capsules

3-locular;

locules 2-seeded.

subglobose, 3.5 mm diam., pubescent.

Seeds

2–3 mm.

Tradescantia zebrina

Tradescantia buckleyi

Phenology Flowering fall–winter (Sep–Feb). Flowering mainly late winter–spring (Feb–May).
Habitat Hummocks and weedy places Clay mounds in chaparral
Distribution
from FNA
FL; native; tropical America [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Commelinaceae > Tradescantia Commelinaceae > Tradescantia
Sibling taxa
T. bracteata, T. brevifolia, T. buckleyi, T. crassifolia, T. crassula, T. edwardsiana, T. ernestiana, T. fluminensis, T. gigantea, T. hirsuticaulis, T. hirsutiflora, T. humilis, T. leiandra, T. longipes, T. occidentalis, T. ohiensis, T. ozarkana, T. pallida, T. paludosa, T. pedicellata, T. pinetorum, T. reverchonii, T. roseolens, T. spathacea, T. subacaulis, T. subaspera, T. tharpii, T. virginiana, T. wrightii
T. bracteata, T. brevifolia, T. crassifolia, T. crassula, T. edwardsiana, T. ernestiana, T. fluminensis, T. gigantea, T. hirsuticaulis, T. hirsutiflora, T. humilis, T. leiandra, T. longipes, T. occidentalis, T. ohiensis, T. ozarkana, T. pallida, T. paludosa, T. pedicellata, T. pinetorum, T. reverchonii, T. roseolens, T. spathacea, T. subacaulis, T. subaspera, T. tharpii, T. virginiana, T. wrightii, T. zebrina
Synonyms Zebrina pendula Setcreasea buckleyi
Name authority Hort ex Bosse: Vollstandiges Handb. Blumengart. 4: 655. (1849) (I. M. Johnston) D. R. Hunt: Kew Bull. 30: 451. (1975)
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