Tradescantia pallida

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Tradescantia pallida
Purple heart flower.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Tradescantia
Species:
T. pallida
Binomial name
Tradescantia pallida
Synonyms[1]

Setcreasea pallida Rose
Setcreasea purpurea Boom

Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort (a genus of New World plants) similar to T. fluminensis and T. zebrina. Common names include purple secretia, purple-heart,[2] and purple queen.[3] It is native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. Edward Palmer collected the type specimen near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas in 1907.[4][5]

Names[]

The Latin specific epithet pallida means "pale".[6]

Description[]

Tradescantia pallida is an evergreen perennial plant of scrambling stature. It is distinguished by elongated, pointed leaves - themselves glaucous green, fringed with red or purple - and bearing small, sterile three-petaled flowers of white, pink or purple. Plants are top-killed by moderate frosts, but will often sprout back from roots.[7]

Cultivation[]

Widely used as an ornamental plant in gardens and borders, as a ground cover, hanging plant, or - particularly in colder climates where it cannot survive the winter season - houseplant, it is propagated easily by cuttings (the stems are visibly segmented and roots will frequently grow from the joints).

As a houseplant, T. pallida has been judged exceptionally effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, a class of common pollutants and respiratory irritants, an effect known as phytoremediation.[8]

Numerous cultivars are available, of which 'Purpurea' with purple foliage has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9][10]

Gallery[]

  • Leaves, superior aspect

  • Leaves, inferior aspect

  • Flower

  • Close-up shot of flower

References[]

  1. ^ "Tradescantia pallida". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  2. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tradescantia pallida". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Tradescantia pallida". EOL. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Tradescantia pallida" at the Encyclopedia of Life
  6. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  7. ^ Duever, Linda Conway (2006-08-31). "#734 Tradescantia pallida". Floridata.
  8. ^ Yang, Dong Sik, Pennisi, Svoboda V., Son, Ki-Cheol, Kays, Stanley J. Screening Indoor Plants for Volatile Organic Pollutant Removal Efficiency. HortScience, Published online 1 August 2009; in print 44: 1377-1381 (2009)
  9. ^ "Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  10. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 102. Retrieved 24 December 2018.

External links[]

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