Tradescantia pallida /ˌtɹædɪˈskæntiə/
Common name: Purple heart · Purple queen · Purple spiderwort
Tradescantia pallida is a trailing perennial native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. Its succulent stems and elongated leaves are a striking deep violet-purple, and it produces small pink three-petaled flowers. The cultivar 'Purpurea' is grown worldwide as an ornamental ground cover, bedding plant, and houseplant, valued for its drought tolerance and bold foliage color.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun to partial shade; best color in sun
Water
Drought-tolerant; water sparingly once established
Soil
Well-draining, average to sandy soil
Hardiness
Zones 8–11
Mature height
About 20–40 cm (8–16 in)
Pet safe
No; sap may irritate skin and pets
Difficulty
Easy
Propagation
Stem cuttings root with almost no effort. Take a 10 cm cutting, remove the lower leaves, and place it in water or directly into moist soil; roots form within a week or two.
Fun facts
- In shade the purple foliage fades toward green, so growers place it in full sun for the richest color.
- It was used in a 2015 University of Georgia study as a bioindicator plant to detect airborne mutagens and pollutants.
- Stems snap easily but root just as easily, so broken pieces can simply be stuck back in the ground.
- It dies back in frost but often resprouts from the roots in mild-winter regions.