Scientific Name:
Tradescantia spathacea
Pronunciation:
trad-ess-KANT-ee-uh spath-AY-see-uh
Common Name:
Moses-in-the-cradle, boat lily
Family Name:
Commelinaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves spirally arranged, linear-lanceolate, dark green with purple undersides, up to 30cm long; florets white in comes with purplish, boat-shaped bracts ("Moses-in-a-basket").
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Origin:
Mexico, South America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Soil/Growing Medium:
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting, Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate, Spiraled, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Purple undersides; some. cvs. with yellow stripes.
Shapes:
Lanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
3
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
White
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar
Additional Info:
Flowers enclosed in boat-shaped bracts.
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Not showy,
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Leaf-like bracts
Propagation:
Division - above ground parts
Optimal Temp.:
High
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mealybugs, Mites (Disease resistant)
