Tradescantia spathacea

Tradescantia spathacea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Commelinales
Family:	Commelinaceae
Genus:	Tradescantia
Species:	T. spathacea
Binomial name
Tradescantia spathacea Sw.
Synonyms [1]
List Ephemerum bicolorMoench Rhoeo discolor(L'Hér.) Hance Rhoeo spathacea(Sw.) Stearn Rhoeo spathacea f. concolor(Baker) Stehlé Rhoeo spathacea f. variegata(Hook.) Stehlé Tradescantia discolorL'Hér. Tradescantia discolor var. concolorBaker Tradescantia discolor var. variegataHook. Tradescantia versicolorSalisb.

Tradescantia spathacea, also called the oyster plant, ^[2] boatlily ^[3] or 'Moses-in-the-cradle', is an herb in the Commelinaceae family which was first described in 1788. It is native to Central America. ^[4]

The plant's common name "Moses in the Cradle" is due to its small, white flowers within a boat-shaped, purple bract that resembles a cradle, which is a visual resemblance to the biblical story of Moses in the bulrushes, where he was placed in a basket. ^[5]

Description

The compound inflorescence inside bracts which lend the name "boat lily" and "Moses-in-the-cradle"

Tradescantia spathacea has fleshy rhizomes and rosettes of waxy lance-shaped leaves. Leaves are dark to metallic green above, with glossy purple underneath. These will reach up to 0.30 m (1 ft) long by 76 mm (3 in) wide. They are foliage plants that reach a height of around 0.30 m (1 ft). The short-stemmed perennial shrub grows in a dense clump and forms a rosette of thick, lanceolate or linear leaves, about 30 cm long and 7 cm wide, facing upward, which are dark green above and purple below. The color of the underside is due to certain pigments, anthocyanins. Some varieties, such as 'vittata', have longitudinal yellow stripes on the upper side of the leaf. ^[4]

The flowers are very small, white and clustered, arise in axillary cymes enclosed in purple, boat-shaped bracts (giving their common name, Moses-in-the-Cradle). The flowers appear from spring to autumn. ^[6]

Distribution

It is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern México (Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula) and is widely cultivated as an ornamental houseplant; it has become naturalized in parts of coastal Southern California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, and various Pacific and Indian Ocean islands. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Cultivation

Cultivar with pink and light green leaves

They are hardy in USDA zones 9-12 and are also grown as ornamental houseplants. Its cultivar 'Sitara' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ^[10] In Mexico, it is used as a medicinal plant for sores and wounds, as well as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Invasiveness

Tradescantia spathacea has naturalized in parts of coastal Southern California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, and various Pacific and Indian Ocean islands and is listed as a Category II invasive exotic species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. "This means Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species. These species may become ranked Category I if ecological damage is demonstrated." ^[11]

References

1. "Tradescantia spathacea Sw". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
2. "ITIS - Report: Tradescantia spathacea".
3. NRCS. "Tradescantia spathacea". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
4. Tradescantia spathacea Sw. Plant Net. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
5. Moses In The Cradle (Tradescantia spathacea or Rhoeo) by Wild Roots. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
6. Moses in The Cradle Primex Garden Center. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
7. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
8. Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
9. Hunt, D. R. 1994. 257. Commelinaceae. 6: 157–173. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F.
10. "AGM Plants July 2021 © RHS – ORNAMENTAL" (PDF). The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
11. Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (2017). "Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's 2017 List of Invasive Plant Species" (PDF). Retrieved 14 March 2019.