Inchplant
Inchplant
- Common Name: Inchplant
- Scientific Name: Tradescantia zebrina
- Family Name: Commelinaceae
- Origin: Central America
- Height: 6 to 12 in
- Width: Variable
- Growth: Fast
- Zone: USDA Zones 9 through 12
- Light needs: Full sun to part shade.
- Salt tolerance: Low
- Soil/pH/Texture: Prefers a well-drained, sandy or loamy soil with a circumneutral pH between 5.5 and 7.5.
- Moisture: Moderate water needs
- Drought tolerance: Moderate
- Pests/Diseases: Mites are an occasional problem.
- Growing conditions: This plant can tolerate both sunny and shady conditions, but direct sunlight might wash out its colors, so it is recommended to plant it in part shade or indirect sun. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings. This plant is not frost tolerant and should be grown indoors if the outside area is prone to freezing temperatures. It grows and spreads aggressively and may need regular pruning.
- Characteristics: The pale green stems are succulent and root wherever they touch the soil. The plant spreads along the ground quickly, often creating a dense mat of foliage. Leaves, which grow alternately, are ovate and pointed, with pale green and dark purple vertical stripes. Flowers emerge singularly from the very tips of stems. The flowers are bright magenta with three petals and prominent yellow stamens. Fruits are inconspicuous capsules.
- Propagation: By cuttings or by seeds. Cuttings are the more commonly used method.
- Facts: This species has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. It is considered an invasive species in South Africa and in the Galapagos Islands.
- Designer considerations: Suitable as both an outdoor plant and houseplant, it looks good both in containers and hanging baskets as well as mass plantings. It is often used as a border for trees and shrubs and planted along walkways for its eye-catching, colorful stripes. Its creeping habit makes it hang gracefully over walls and raised beds.
Location
Butterfly Garden
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