Details
| Full name | Tradescantia zebrina ‘Leprechaun’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Registered by Winnington (2023). |
| Origins | Seedling bred in 2021, as an open-pollinated cross, believed to be between Tradescantia zebrina ‘Purple Plush’ and Tradescantia zebrina ‘Little Hill’. Bred, registered, and introduced by Helen Winnington in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Named by Inge Gazi. |
| Classification | The species Tradescantia zebrina is sometimes labelled with its botanical synonyms Zebrina pendula and Cyanotis zebrina. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Newly introduced in the UK. |
Description
Preserved in a herbarium specimen (“Tradescantia zebrina ‘Leprechaun'”, 2023).
Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition: 2019 reprint).
| Species | Tradescantia zebrina. |
| Growth habit | Stems initially grow upright but soon start to sprawl and trail out of any container. |
| Foliage | Stems are 2-5mm wide, with internodes 1-5cm long. The colour ranges from moderate reddish brown (177A) to greyish reddish purple (N77C). All the stems are dotted with lighter green freckles, and range from densely hairy to completely smooth. Leaves are very slightly asymmetrical pointed ovals, 4-6.5cm long and 2.5-4cm wide, with long hairs at the margins and sometimes scattered over the surface. Each half of the leaf has a stripe running its length, taking up about 30-50% of its total width. On newly-matured leaves the base colour of the upper surface is dark greyish reddish brown (200A). The stripes are greenish grey (N189C) to moderate yellow green (138B). The entire leaf surface becomes streaked with greyish purple (N77A) to dark purple (79A) in intense light. On old leaves the base colour becomes greyish olive green (NN137A) to dark greyish green (N189A), and the purple streaks fade away. Leaf undersides are dark purplish red (N79A) to dark purple (79C), sometimes with greyish yellow green (191B) veins. Sheaths are moderate yellow green (147C) to purplish grey (N187C), with long white hairs. |
| Flowers | 20mm across. Petals are light purple (N80C) to strong reddish purple (N78B). Stamen filaments, pistil, and anthers are white. |
| Comparisons | Tradescantia zebrina ‘Purple Plush’ lacks the silver leaf bands, and has a dark pink centre to the flowers. Tradescantia zebrina ‘Little Hill’ has hairless leaves and stems. Tradescantia zebrina ‘Silver Smudge’ has fewer, shorter hairs on the foliage, and longer leaves. |
References
Winnington, H. (2023). Tradescantia cultivar names registered 2022. RHS Cultivar Registration Bulletin, 2, 27. Online edition link.
Tradescantia zebrina ‘Leprechaun’. (2023). [Herbarium specimen, barcode WSY0168560]. RHS Wisley Herbarium.