Tradescantia pallida

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Tradescantia pallida
Tradescantia pallida kz03.jpg
Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Tradescantia
Species:
T. pallida
Binomial name
Tradescantia pallida
Synonyms [1]

Setcreasea pallidaRose
Setcreasea purpureaBoom

Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. It is a perennial herbaceous species with a trailing habit. The cultivar T. pallida 'Purpurea', commonly called purple heart or purple queen, is widely grown as a houseplant, outdoor container plant, or a garden groundcover. The species has been proven useful in indicating and removing air and soil pollutants and has also been used in food technology.

Contents

Taxonomy

T. pallida is a species of spiderwort in the family Commelinaceae. [2] The type specimen was collected by Edward Palmer, one of the main US plant collectors of his time, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas (possibly near Ciudad Victoria [3] ) in 1907. [4] The species was described by Joseph Nelson Rose in 1911. He placed it in the genus Setcreasea . In 1975 David Hunt transferred the species to the genus Tradescantia . [2] Hunt also treated Setcreasea purpurea as a cultivar of S. pallida. [3] The latter names are still often used to refer to T. pallida. [2] The specific epithet pallida means "pale", referring to the original color of the leaves. [4]

The plant is known by several common names, including purple heart (probably in reference to the eponymous military medal [4] ) and purple wandering jew. [2]

Description

T. pallida is perennial and herbaceous. It has a rambling habit, with plants reaching about a 1 ft (30 cm) in height but spreading considerably wider: [2] the stems may trail to 18 in (46 cm) or more. [5] Wild specimens are gray-green-purplish with a washed out look. [4]

Flower of T. pallida 'Purpurea' Tradescantia pallida flower.jpg
Flower of T. pallida 'Purpurea'

The fleshy, hairy leaves are up to 7 in (180 mm) long, [2] narrow-oblong, and v-shaped. [5] and form a sheath around fleshy stems, which break off easily. On the ends of the stems the plants produce relatively inconspicuous flowers. The flowers are three-petaled as is typical for the Tradescantia genus. The flowering is most abundant from midsummer through fall and sporadic at other times of the year. [2] The flowers are open only in the morning. [4] The plants are evergreen, [4] but in colder areas die back to the ground in winter and resprout from the roots in spring. [2]

Distribution and habitat

T. pallida is found along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Its native range extends from Tamaulipas to Yucatan. [4] The species has been collected in a tropical deciduous forest, among roadside limestone rocks, and on limestone outcrops. [3]

Uses

T. pallida 'Purpurea' as a houseplant Tradeskansia.jpg
T. pallida 'Purpurea' as a houseplant

T. pallida is grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive foliage. [2] Only the cultivar 'Purpurea', featuring purple-violet leaves and stems, [5] is commercially grown. [4] 'Purpurea' is sometimes sold under the name 'Purple Heart', [5] and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [6]

T. pallida is a popular groundcover plant in tropical and semi-tropical areas. In temperate climates it has traditionally been used as a houseplant but is increasingly being planted outdoors in containers or as a groundcover. It is also suitable for hanging baskets, border fronts, and rock gardens. [5] The plant is hardy down to USDA zone 7. [2] It may be grown in the shade but the most intense purple color is achieved in full sun. [2] [4] [5] The plant is remarkable for easily tolerating both drought [2] [4] [5] and frequent watering. [2] It is generally not affected by pests or diseases; however, slugs and caterpillars may attack young shoots of outdoor specimens, while houseplants should be monitored for aphids and scale. [5]

T. pallida has been proven useful for phytoremediation, biomonitoring, and genotoxicity assessment of environmental pollutants, especially heavy metals and metalloids from coal power plants. [7] 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. [8]

Because the plant contains anthocyanins, T. pallida leaves have been used as food colorants [9] [10] and food preservatives. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Tradescantia pallida". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Mahr, Susan. "Purple Heart, Tradescantia pallida". University of Wisconsin. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Hunt, D. R. (1975). "The Reunion of Setcreasea and Separotheca with Tradescantia American Commelinaceae: I" . Kew Bulletin. 30 (3): 443–458. Bibcode:1975KewBu..30..443H. doi:10.2307/4103068. JSTOR   4103068 . Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Klingaman, Gerald (21 October 2016). "Plant of the Week: Tradescantia pallida, Purple Heart". University of Arkansas. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Meravi, Neelima; Prajapati, Santosh Kumar (2014). "Biomonitoring the Genotoxicity of Heavy Metals/Metalloids Present in Soil Contaminated by Fly Ash from Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant Using Tradescantia pallida". Phytoremediation. 1. Springer: 173. ISBN   978-3319103952.
  8. ↑ Yang, Dong Sik; Pennisi, Svoboda V.; Son, Ki-Cheol; Kays, Stanley J. (1 August 2009). "Screening Indoor Plants for Volatile Organic Pollutant Removal Efficiency". HortScience. 44 (5): 1377–1381. doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI.44.5.1377 .
  9. ↑ Houghton, J.D.; Hendry, G.A.F. (2012). Natural Food Colorants. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   978-1461521556.
  10. 1 2 Imtiaz, Fariha; Islam, Muhammad; Saeed, Hamid; Ahmed, Abrar; Rathore, Hassaan Anwer (1 March 2023). "Assessment of the antidiabetic potential of extract and novel phytoniosomes formulation of Tradescantia pallida leaves in the alloxan-induced diabetic mouse model". FASEB Journal. 37 (4) e22818. doi: 10.1096/fj.202201395RR . PMC   11977607 . PMID   36856606.
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