![]() We will also relate those observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and in other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. The information about Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources we consider reliable. The cultivar name 'Purpurea' is a synonym and it also goes by the common names Purple Secretia and Purple Queen. This plant was originally described as Setcreasea pallida in 1911 by the American botanist Joseph Nelson Rose, famous for his work in Mexico on the Cactaceae. The species name pallida is from the Latin word 'pallidus' meaning "pallid" or "pale" in reference to the pale flowers of the species compared to other Tradescantia. The name Tradescantia honors John Tradescant the elder (1570s-1638), an 17th century English naturalist, who was a collector and traveler and the gardener to the Earl of Salisbury and who traveled to Virginia in 1617. This plant is native to a wide area of Mexico from Tamaulipas east to Veracruz and south to the Yucatan peninsula. Though not particularly dangerous, the juices of this plant have a skin irritant that can cause a rash or blisters and has been used in the past to cosmetically redden a person's cheeks. The stems are a bit fragile so break it brushed against or walked on but the plant grows rapidly and so covers up damage in short order. Some consider this plant from eastern Mexico to be invasive, but we have never seen it get out of hand and it has behaved quite well in our garden for over 25 years. ![]() This attractive and unusual colored plant makes a great hanging pot specimen or as a creeping groundcover with bold color for the sun or shade garden. Hardy and evergreen in frost free gardens but will freeze back in colder locations - root hardy to 10☏ or less - some claim it will grow as a perennial in USDA Zone 6, where mulching to protect the crown is advantageous. The leaf color varies with amount of sun and water with the best color in the brightest light. Plant in light shade or part sun in most any soil type and water regularly to occasionally - surprising drought tolerant for such a tropical looking plant. The three petaled purple-pink flowers with yellow stamens arise among the leaves near the tips of the branches primarily in summer but can often be seen at other times in frost free gardens. The leaves are covered in soft pale hairs the their bases form a sheath around the stems. It has 2 to 5+ inch long, narrow pointed purple leaves arranged alternately along thick herbaceous segmented stems. Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' (Purple Spiderwort) - This popular trailing house plant is also a pretty durable groundcover or accent plant to about 18 inches tall in the garden. Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' - Purple Spiderwort Products > Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' at San Marcos Growers
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