Scientific Name:
Tradescantia fluminensis
Pronunciation:
trad-ess-KANT-ee-uh flu-min-NEN-siss
Common Name:
wandering Jew
Family Name:
Commelinaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves with parallel venation, ovate to 6cm long, narrowing toward base and then expanding to a broad sheath around the stem.
Habit:
Pendulous
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Origin:
South America (Brazil, Argentina)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Soil/Growing Medium:
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Hanging basket, Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Google. Images with red upper leaf surfaces are of T. 'Rainbow'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Red, Several cvs., with white, pink or yellow stripes, or purple undersides
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Leaves variegated
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy,
Bark or Stem Colour:
Propagation:
Stem tip cuttings, Eye (leaf bud) cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
May need shoot tips pinched back to maintain even shape.
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites
