About Tradescantia spathacea Sw.
Tradescantia spathacea Sw. is a short-stemmed perennial foliage shrub that forms dense clumps. This species has fleshy rhizomes, and produces rosettes of thick, waxy, upward-facing lance-shaped or linear leaves. Leaf upper surfaces range from dark green to metallic green, while leaf undersides are glossy purple; the purple underside color comes from anthocyanin pigments. Mature leaves reach up to 30 cm (1 ft) long and up to 7.6 cm (3 in) wide. The whole plant reaches a height of around 30 cm (1 ft). Some cultivated varieties, such as 'vittata', have longitudinal yellow stripes on the upper leaf surface. Its flowers are very small, white, and grow in clustered axillary cymes. These flower clusters are enclosed in purple, boat-shaped bracts, which give the species its common name of Moses-in-the-Cradle. Flowers bloom from spring through autumn. This species is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico (specifically Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula). It is widely cultivated as an ornamental houseplant, and is hardy in USDA zones 9 through 12. It has become naturalized in parts of coastal Southern California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, as well as on various Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. The cultivar 'Sitara' has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In Mexico, this species is used medicinally to treat sores and wounds, and it is used as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.
