Tradescantia zebrina |
Tradescantia crassifolia |
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inchplant, wandering-jew |
leatherleaf spiderwort |
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Habit | Herbs, decumbent. | Herbs, erect, rarely rooting at nodes. |
Roots | tuberous, thick. |
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Stems | unbranched or sparsely branched, arachnoid-villous. |
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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. |
2-ranked, narrowing toward shoot apex; blade lanceolate-elliptic to ovate, 4–15 × 2–3.5 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), base cordate-clasping, sparsely pilose to densely arachnoid-villous. |
Inflorescences | terminal, consisting of pairs of sessile cymes enclosed in sheaths of spathaceous bracts, pedunculate; spathaceous bracts foliaceous, reduced. |
terminal, 1–4 axillary, sessile in axils of distal reduced leaves, boat-shaped spathes absent. |
Flowers | subsessile; sepals basally connate, 4–5 mm; petals pink, clawed, claws basally connate forming tube; stamens epipetalous; filaments bearded. |
distinctly pedicillate; pedicels 0.6–1.4 cm, densely arachnoid-villous; sepals 6.5–8 mm, pilose to densely arachnoid-pubescent; petals distinct, rose-purple to bluish, not clawed, 10–15 mm; stamens free; filaments bearded. |
Capsules | 3-locular; locules 2-seeded. |
3.5–4 mm. |
Seeds | 2 mm. |
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2n | = 12, 24, 24+ (Mexico). |
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Tradescantia zebrina |
Tradescantia crassifolia |
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Phenology | Flowering fall–winter (Sep–Feb). | Flowering summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Hummocks and weedy places | Specific habitat unkown |
Distribution |
FL; native; tropical America [Introduced in North America] |
TX; Mexico; to Central America (Guatemala)
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Discussion | Although not recorded in any U.S. flora or checklist, Tradescantia crassifolia has been added to the flora based on an old collection from the Chenati Mountains in Texas. Another specimen labeled New Mexico is considered less credible. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Zebrina pendula | |
Name authority | Hort ex Bosse: Vollstandiges Handb. Blumengart. 4: 655. (1849) | Cavanilles: Icon. 1: 54, plate 75. (1791) |
Web links |