Purple Heart

Tradescantia pallida

"Tradescantia pallida" is a species of spiderwort more commonly known as "Wandering Jew", a name it shares with the closely related species "T. fluminensis" and "T. zebrina". Other common names include Purple Heart and Purple Queen. It is native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico.
Tradescantia pallida flower macro Native to eastern Mexico. Perennial with succulent-looking, lance-shaped purple leaves, forming a ground cover about 15 cm tall. It has tiny 25 mm diameter pink/purple flowers in warmer months. Does not become invasive like many of its weedy relatives. Because it is temperate and the light is so bright here, I grow mine in a semi-shaded environment - and they still produce these flowers for most of the year! Australia,Commelinaceae,Commelinales,Fall,Flora,Geotagged,Macro,Purple Secretia,Purple Spiderwort,Purple-heart plant,Tradescantia pallida,Wandering Jew,Wandering Jew plant,autumn,botany,new south wales,plant,purple queen plant

Appearance

"T. pallida" is an evergreen perennial plant of scrambling stature. It is distinguished by elongated, pointed leaves - themselves glaucous green, fringed with red or purple - and bearing small, sterile three-petaled flowers of white, pink or purple. Plants are top-killed by moderate frosts, but will often sprout back from roots. Protection by mulching will increase the chances of sprouting in marginal areas.
Tradescantia pallida Nei giardini famigliari italiani non manca come pianta di Buon augurio insieme a Tradescantia comune. La prima rappresenta la ricchezza e la seconda la miseria: devono esserci entrambe. #tradescantia,Purple Heart,Tradescantia pallida

Naming

Edward Palmer was the first European to observe and assign a Latin name to the type specimen near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas in 1907.

There is some controversy regarding the correct scientific name for this plant species, with certain authorities continuing to refer to it as "Setcreasea purpurea" or "Setcreasea pallida". The comparatively more recent denomination "Tradescantia pallida" appears to enjoy greater acceptance and wider usage at the present time.
Purple Heart - Tradescantia pallida Garden in our hotel, near Cenote Ik Kil. Geotagged,Mexico,Purple Heart,Summer,Tradescantia pallida

Uses

As a houseplant, "T. pallida" has been judged exceptionally effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, a class of common pollutants and respiratory irritants, via a process known as phytoremediation.

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