What are the characteristics of Tradescantia zebrina? Let us get to know it quickly
Other names for Tradescantia zebrina
Tradescantia zebrina, also called inch plant and variegated dayflower, is a perennial herbaceous foliage plant in the genus Tradescantia, family Commelinaceae. Its stems are weak and brittle, creeping along the ground in a trailing growth habit.
Because its leaves resemble bamboo and are beautiful, it is often grown in pots hung indoors to admire its soft, drooping stems and leaves spreading in all directions, hence the name Tradescantia zebrina (hanging bamboo plum).
Morphological characteristics of Tradescantia zebrina
Tradescantia zebrina is a perennial herbaceous plant; its stems are somewhat weak, green, drooping, and semi-succulent.
The branches of Tradescantia zebrina root at the nodes; they are generally oblong, spreading or hanging, about 1 m long.
The leaves of Tradescantia zebrina are sessile, elliptic-ovate to oblong, 3-7 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, with a short-pointed tip; the upper surface is purple-green mixed with silvery white, with purple stripes along the middle margin, while the underside is purplish red; the top and base of the sheath, or the entire sheath, are covered with sparse long hairs.
The small white flowers of Tradescantia zebrina are axillary, clustered within two bract-like leaves at the top, one large and one small; there are 3 sepals united into a cylindrical tube about 6 mm long; the corolla tube is white and slender, about 1 cm long, with 3 rose-colored lobes about 3 mm long, and 6 stamens; the ovary has 3 chambers.
The fruit of Tradescantia zebrina is a capsule, and the flowering period is irregular.
The uses and value of Tradescantia zebrina
Tradescantia zebrina is often used as a small potted ornamental plant.
Because Tradescantia zebrina grows quickly, it can cover a whole pot in 1 year, with branches and leaves creeping and hanging down, and its leaf colors of purple, green, and silver intermingled, dazzling to the eye. It can be placed on a tall stand or the top of a cabinet and allowed to hang down naturally, or displayed in a hanging pot. It can also be arranged above a windowsill so that it droops to form a green curtain.
In courtyard cultivation it is often used for overall landscaping. The variegated leaves of the plant can sometimes turn green; at this time, they should be removed promptly to prevent all the leaves of the whole plant from turning green.
In addition, Tradescantia zebrina can also be used as medicine, also known as variegated bamboo shell vegetable, water bamboo grass, and purple-backed dayflower, and has the functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and promoting urination.
The flower language of Tradescantia zebrina
The flower language of Tradescantia zebrina is simplicity, purity, elegance, innocence, hope, and tranquility. Like spirits dancing in midair, they are pure and innocent, contending with no one.