Biology:Tradescantia spathacea

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Short description: Species of herb

Tradescantia spathacea
Tradescantia spathacea - Ботаничка градина Скопје (3).jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Tradescantia
Species:
T. spathacea
Binomial name
Tradescantia spathacea
Synonyms[1]

Tradescantia spathacea, the oyster plant,[2] boatlily[3] or Moses-in-the-cradle, is a herb in the Commelinaceae family first described in 1788. It is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula) but widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in parts of Florida, Texas , Hawaii, and various oceanic islands.[4][5][6]

Description

Tradescantia spathacea has fleshy rhizomes and rosettes of waxy lance-shaped leaves. Leaves are dark to metallic green above, with glossy purple underneath. These will reach up to 0.30 m (1 ft) long by 76 mm (3 in) wide. They are foliage plants that reach a height of around 0.30 m (1 ft). They are hardy in USDA zones 9-12 and are also grown as ornamental houseplants. Its cultivar 'Sitara' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7]

Invasiveness

Tradescantia spathacea has naturalized in Florida and Louisiana and is listed as a Category II invasive exotic species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. "This means Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species. These species may become ranked Category I if ecological damage is demonstrated."[8]

Ornamental houseplant cultivar of Tradescantia spathacea showing the compound inflorescence inside bracts which lends the name "boat lily"

References

Wikidata ☰ Q967979 entry