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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Commelinaceae (Spiderworts) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Magenta |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 10-15° F |
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Tradescantia sp. "Huasteca Canyon" (Huasteca Spiderwort) - A low growing semi-evergreen perennial to about 12 tall with thick succulent stems holding 1 to 2 inch long leaves are arranged in two ranks with each 180 degrees across from the other to give a very interesting geometric pattern. The leaves are a dull olive to gray-green color, sometimes blushed purple but the leaves and new stems are so heavily covered with cobwebby silver-white hairs that the plant appears quite silver. In summer through fall appear the single magenta flowers with three petals that are crowded into the terminal leaf axils. Grow in full sun in coastal areas to part sun inland though will tolerate fairly dense shade but the more sun and less water this plant gets, the more silver and compact it remains - plants in shade tend to have elongated stems that are pendulous with much greener foliage. Requires very little water in our coastal gardens but can tolerate it so long as the soil is not poorly draining. This plant should prove useful in USDA zones 7-10 and remain evergreen so long as temperatures do not go much lower than 30°F. This plant is VERY similar to Tradescantia sillamontana, a plant we have grown for many years and is very possibly another form of it. This plant was reportedly collected near the locality of Agave albopilosa in Huasteca Canyon in the Mexican state of Monterrey in Northern Mexico. This canyon is also the a location where there are nice populations of the Queen Victoria Agave, Agave victoriae-reginae, while Tradescantia sillamontana is native to the mountains of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico - see our listing of this species at Tradescantia sillamontana . The name of the genus honors the English naturalists and plant collectors John Tradescant (ca. 1570s – 1638) or possibly his son John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662). It was at one time believed that John Tradescant the Younger first brought the Virginia Spriderwort, Tradescantia virginiana, back to England in 1637 but some contend that the timeline suggests it more likely the plant was given to John Tradescant the elder, who was a collector and traveler and the gardener to the Earl of Salisbury, and not actually collected by either Tradescants. The name for the genus was one proposed by Linnaeus.
The information about Tradescantia sp. "Huasteca Canyon" displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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