The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

inchplant, wandering-jew

purple queen

Habit Herbs, decumbent. Herbs, perennial, succulent.
Stems

suffused with purplish violet.

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, suffused with purplish violet, lanceolate-oblong to oblong-elliptic, (4–)7–15 × 1.5–3 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), base symmetric, rounded to broadly cuneate, margins ciliate or ciliolate, apex acute, glabrous or glabrescent.

Inflorescences

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

terminal, often becoming leaf-opposed, pedunculate;

peduncles (3.5–)4–13 cm;

bracts similar to leaves but usually greatly reduced.

Flowers

subsessile;

sepals basally connate, 4–5 mm;

petals pink, clawed, claws basally connate forming tube;

stamens epipetalous;

filaments bearded.

subsessile;

pedicels 4–9 mm, densely white-pilose at summit;

sepals distinct, 7–10 mm, pilose basally;

petals ± connate at base, pink, clawed, 1.5–2 cm;

stamens epipetalous;

filaments very sparsely bearded.

Capsules

3-locular;

locules 2-seeded.

3.5 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

2.5–3 mm.

2n

= 24 (Mexico).

Tradescantia zebrina

Tradescantia pallida

Phenology Flowering fall–winter (Sep–Feb). Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Hummocks and weedy places Landfill and old home sites
Distribution
from FNA
FL; native; tropical America [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; LA; Mexico; native [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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. 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. 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 pallida, Setcreasea purpurea
Name authority Hort ex Bosse: Vollstandiges Handb. Blumengart. 4: 655. (1849) (Rose) D. R. Hunt: Kew Bull. 30: 452. (1975)
Web links