Spongeworthy93 · CC BY-SA 4.0
About
A popular and fast-growing creeping plant, *Tradescantia zebrina* is prized for its striking foliage, which features zebra-patterned leaves with purple new growth, green older growth, and broad silver stripes. It is commonly used as an aggressive groundcover or houseplant.
Field notes
Morphology
The leaves are mostly ovate, 4 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide, with a bluish-green upper surface and a deep uniform magenta lower surface. The upper surface is glabrous to mildly hairy, while the underside is hairless to averagely hairy and ciliate near the base. The plant forms dense mats and has thin, translucent leaf sheaths, 8 to 12 mm long and 5 to 8 mm wide.
Distribution & habitat
Native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia, it is also found on the Caribbean islands. It is naturalized in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and various oceanic islands, typically growing in thickets in wetland and rainforest areas at altitudes of 2000 meters or below.
Cultivation notes
It is easily propagated by cuttings and is used as a houseplant and groundcover. It is not frost-resistant but can be kept indoors during the winter months in colder climates and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9, 10, and 11.
Conservation
It is classified as a Category 1b Invasive Species in South Africa and is also an invasive species in the Galápagos Islands.
Habitat
- Altitude
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- Altitude Class
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Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
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