Details
| Full name | Callisia soconuscensis ‘Quetzalcoatl’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Registered on behalf of the community, the name will be established once published in hardcopy (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 27.1). |
| Origins | Unknown, but seems to have originated in Mexico in or before 2022 (Bonilla, 2022). Named after the Aztec god, suggested by Emilia Vargas and chosen by community vote. |
| Classification | The cultivar has been misidentified as the species C. navicularis (Bonilla, 2022), but most resembles C. soconuscensis. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Locally available in the Americas and Europe. |
Description
Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition; 2019 reprint).
| Species | Callisia soconuscensis. |
| Growth habit | Sprawling and trailing. |
| Foliage | Stems are 3-4mm thick, 1-3cm long, shortest near the growing tips. The base colour is greyish olive green (NN137A) to moderate olive brown (N199A), with lighter green speckles. Leaves are pointed ovals, 4-7cm long and 1.5-3cm wide, wrapping around the stem with no stalk (petiole). The upper surfaces are moderate yellowish green (138A) to pale green (N138C), with an iridescent silvery shimmer. The edges become marked with dark purplish red (N79A) to dark purple (79A) in bright light. Undersides and leaf sheaths are pale green (N138C) to moderate yellow green (147C). Stems and leaves are smooth except for a few long hairs at the top of the sheath. |
| Flowers | Long stalks form from the apex of vegetative shoots, with small clusters of flowers all the way along. Individual flowers are about 5mm across, with slightly translucent white petals, white stamens and anthers. |
| Comparisons | Compared to the more common C. soconuscensis ‘Dragon Tail’, this plant is smaller overall and with a silvery-blue tint to the leaves. |
References
Brickell, C. D., Alexander, C., Cubey, J. J., David, J. C., Hoffman, M. H. A., Leslie, A. C., Malécot, V., Jin, X. (2016). International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. PDF link.
Bonilla, E. P. H. (2022, May 5). Tradescanthia Navicularis [facebook post]. Archive link.