Tradescantia pallida
| Tradescantia pallida | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| 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 | |
Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort (a genus of New World plants) similar to T. fluminensis and T. zebrina. The cultivar T. pallida 'Purpurea' is commonly called purple secretia, purple-heart,[2] or 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, sometimes 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]
The cultivar T. pallida 'Purpurea' has purple leaves and pink flowers.
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
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Leaves, superior aspect
(T. pallida 'Purpurea') -
Leaves, inferior aspect
(T. pallida 'Purpurea') -
Flower
(T. pallida 'Purpurea') -
Close-up shot of flower
(T. pallida 'Purpurea')
References
- ^ "Tradescantia pallida". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tradescantia pallida". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Tradescantia pallida". EOL. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ "Tradescantia pallida" at the Encyclopedia of Life
- ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
- ^ Duever, Linda Conway (2006-08-31). "#734 Tradescantia pallida". Floridata.
- ^ 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)
- ^ "Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 102. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
External links
Media related to Tradescantia pallida at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Tradescantia pallida at Wikispecies- Purple heart, Wandering Jew at Desert Tropicals
