''Tradescantia zebrina'', formerly known as ''Zebrina pendula'', is a species of creeping plant in the ''
Tradescantia
''Tradescantia'' () is a genus of 85 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae, native to the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies. Members of the genus are known by many com ...
'' genus. Common names include silver inch plant and wandering Jew. The latter name (also sometimes used for the related species ''
T. fluminensis'') is controversial, and some now use the alternative wandering dude. The plant is popular in cultivation due to its fast growth and attractive foliage. It is used as a groundcover in warm winter climates, and as a houseplant elsewhere.
Description
''Tradescantia zebrina'' has attractive
zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zebr ...
-patterned
leaves, the upper surface showing purple new growth and green older growth parallel to the central axis, as well as two broad silver-colored stripes on the outer edges, with the lower leaf surface presenting a deep uniform
magenta
Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blu ...
. The leaves are bluish green and usually have two longitudinal stripes that are silvery on the surface and purple on the underside. The leaf sheaths are thin and translucent, 8 to 12 mm long and 5 to 8 mm wide, at the mouth they are long, otherwise glabrous or slightly hairy.
![Zebrina pendula-xavier cottage-yercaud-salem-India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Zebrina_pendula-xavier_cottage-yercaud-salem-India.JPG)
The low-lying, slightly
succulent,
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
, herbaceous plant often forms dense mats or
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
. This is done primarily by natural formation of
sinkers. On the nodules of the
shoot
In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the sp ...
are
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...
approaches, from which roots develop in permanent contact with water or a sufficiently moist substrate under favorable conditions within a day. The shoots are glabrous or hairy. The stalked, parallel-veined leaves are mostly ovate, 4 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide, pointed towards the tip, rounded to the base. The upper surface is glabrous to mildly hairy, the underside hairless to averagely hairy,
ciliate
The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a differen ...
towards the leaf base. The structure of the flower - usually from the three pink petals and the white
sexual organ
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
s - is similar to that of the other ''Tradescantia'', but unlike what happens in those, the plant branches off thanks to new
buds whose attachment starts below that of the leaf (and not above)
![Zebrina pendula 2zz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Zebrina_pendula_2zz.jpg)
The flowers are in groups, supported by two large
foliage
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...
-like, narrow, ciliate bracts. The
hermaphrodite, radial-symmetrical flowers are threefold. The three overgrown sepals are 2 to 3 mm long. The three only grown at the base petals are ovate-blunt, pink to purple and 5 to 9 mm long. The six equally sized
stamens are violet hairy. Three carpels have become a top permanent ovary grown. They form capsule fruits that contain gray-brown seeds.
Skin irritation
Irritation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant. Irritants are typically thought of as chemical age ...
may result from repeated contact with or prolonged handling of the plant — particularly from the clear, watery
sap
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
(a characteristic unique to ''T. zebrina'' as compared with the other aforementioned types).
Habitat
''Tradescantia zebrina'' is native to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, and
Colombia, but can also be found on the
Caribbean islands. It is naturalized in parts of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Australia,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
, and various oceanic islands.
The plant grows in thickets in the
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
and rainforest, often on stones in shady and open areas or on
river banks at altitudes of 2000 meters or below, but mainly at lower altitudes.
Cultivation
It is commonly available and used as a
houseplant
A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...
and
groundcover, aggressively colonizing new areas when left undisturbed. Propagated by
cuttings, this plant can be moved or manipulated easily as its runners cling lightly to the ground (if used as cover). It tends to become an
invasive species if not properly maintained. The plant is not frost-resistant but can be kept indoors during the winter months in colder climates. It is hardy in
USDA hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
s 9, 10 and 11.
The species,
and the cultivars 'Purpusii' and 'Quadricolor' have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit.
Invasiveness
It is classified as a Category 1b Invasive Species in South Africa, and thus may no longer be planted or propagated. All trade in seeds, cuttings or other propagative material is prohibited. It may not be transported or be allowed to disperse, either in rural or urban areas. It is also an
invasive species in the
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...
.
Varieties
* ''Tradescantia zebrina'' var. ''flocculosa''
(G.Brückn.) D.R.Hunt - tropical Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras
* ''Tradescantia zebrina'' var. ''mollipila''
D.R.Hunt - tropical Mexico
* ''Tradescantia zebrina'' var. ''zebrina'' - most of Mexico from north to south, Central America, Colombia
References
External links
Standard Data Report: Tradescantia zebrina- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Taxonomy Browser: Tradescantia zebrina- National Center for Biotechnology Information (US National Institutes of Health)
- Informational database on common gardening plants, based out of Phoenix, Arizona, USA
*''
Tradescantia zebrina'' - WikiSpecies page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q169381
zebrina
Flora of Mexico
Flora of Central America
Flora of Colombia
Medicinal plants
Garden plants
House plants
Groundcovers
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus