Details
| Full name | Tradescantia zebrina ‘Argentea’. |
| Name status | Established but questionable, it may refer to a unique cultivar or may be a synonym for Tradescantia zebrina ‘Minima’ or Tradescantia zebrina Superba Group . Established with a description by Messrs. William Rollison and Sons (1857). Because it was published before 1959, the Latin name can be accepted (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 21.11). The name most likely refers to another Tradescantia zebrina cultivar such as ‘Minima’ or Superba Group, but there is not enough evidence to definitively link it to any plant known today. The name is established and treated as lost or an unknown synonym. |
| Origins | Unknown. |
| Classification | The name was originally published as Tradescantia argentea. This is now considered a botanical synonym for the species Tradescantia zebrina (POWO, 2022), so the plant is treated as a cultivar with the same name (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 21.5). |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | The name is most likely a synonym for Tradescantia zebrina ‘Minima’ or Tradescantia zebrina Superba Group, still in cultivation. But this is not certain, so the plant is assumed to be lost. It was last documented by Bull (1895, p. 20). |
Description
Described by Messrs. William Rollison and Sons (1857).
| Species | Tradescantia zebrina. |
| Comparisons | Whiter and more distinct variegation than another unnamed Tradescantia zebrina cultivar of the time. |
References
Messrs. William Rollison and Sons. (1857). New, Beautiful, and Rare Plants. Gardener’s Chronicle, 1857(24), 418. Biodiversity Heritage Library link.
Bull, W. (1895). A Catalogue of New, Rare, and Beautiful Plants and Orchids. Internet Archive link.
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.
POWO. (2022). Tradescantia argentea. Plants of the World Online. Link.