Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' (Purple Heart)

Scientific Name

Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'

Common Name(s)

Purple Heart, Purple Queen, Purple Spiderwort, Purple Wandering Jew

Synonym(s)

Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart', Tradescantia purpurea, Setcreasea purpurea, Setcreasea tampicana

Scientific Classification

Family: Commelinaceae
Subfamily: Commelinoideae
Tribe: Tradescantieae
Subtribe: Tradescantiinae
Genus: Tradescantia

Description

Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' is a trailing plant with fleshy purple stems and purplish glaucous green leaves. It grows up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall. Leaves are narrowly elliptic and up to 6 inches (15 cm) long. The terminal flowers are bright pink, 3-petalled, and up to 1.2 inches (3 cm) wide.

Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' (Purple Heart) — *Photo via atuttospine.xoom.it*

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Growing Tradescantia is easy, and you will find the plants to be quite resilient. These plants typically grow in moist, well-drained, and acidic (pH 5 to 6) soil. Tradescantias do best in partial shade but will do equally well in sunny areas as long as the soil is kept moist.

You can grow Tradescantia indoors too as long as suitable conditions are given. Provide the plant with either a soilless mix or loam-based potting compost and keep it in bright filtered light. You should also pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushier growth.

Allow it to spend warm spring and summers days outdoors, if feasible. During its active growth, water moderately and apply a balanced liquid fertilizer every four weeks. Water sparingly in winter.

These plants like to be kept fairly moist, so water regularly, especially when growing them in containers. Cutting the plants back once flowering has ceased can often promote a second bloom and help prevent re-seeding. Cut the stems back about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) from the ground.

See more at How to Grow and Care for Tradescantia.

Origin

This succulent is a cultivar of Tradescantia pallida with purple foliage that has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.