‘Aurea’

Details

(Understanding this section)

Full name	Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Aurea’.
Name status	Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Established with a description by Julius Roehrs Co (1935, p. 17). Because it was published before 1959, the Latin name can be accepted (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 21.11). Also known as: ‘South Orange Golden’, an established synonym. ‘Rim’, an established synonym. ‘Yellow’, an established synonym. ‘Gold Crest’, an established synonym. ‘Gold Wing’, an established synonym. ‘Trailing Gold’, an invalid name. The name ‘Aurea’ has become the most widely-used, so it is now accepted for this cultivar. Not to be confused with: Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Aurea’ [1894], an established synonym for another cultivar. Tradescantia spathacea ‘Aurea’, an established synonym for another cultivar. Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Aurea’ [2021], an invalid name.
Origins	Unknown.
Classification	The species Tradescantia fluminensis has sometimes been labelled with its botanical synonym Tradescantia albiflora, and with the invalid horticultural names Tradescantia viridis, Tradescantia repens, and Tradescantia reptans.
Legal protection	None.
Availability	Available from some nurseries and specialists.

Description

Preserved as a herbarium specimen (“Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Aurea'”, 2022).

Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition: 2019 reprint).

Species	Tradescantia fluminensis.
Growth habit	Low-growing, creeping stems which will spread out of any container and trail downwards. Prone to curling leaves and brown spots in high light.
Foliage	Stems are 2-4mm wide, with internodes 3-6cm long, smooth except for one line of tiny hairs running along the length. New growth stems are strong yellow green (144B), darker green with age and occasionally greyish purple (N77A). Leaves are pointed ovals, 4-6cm long and 2-3cm wide, smooth except for a few hairs at the top of the sheath. Newly-emerging leaves are brilliant yellow green (150A). Mature leaves darken to strong yellow green (144A) above and moderate yellow green (138C) underneath. Leaf sheaths are strong yellow green (143D). In lower light, the stems are longer and thinner, the leaves smaller, and the colours darker green. In more intense light, the new leaves stay brighter yellow for longer.
Flowers	Small white flowers, typical for the species. Not very common when grown indoors.

References

Julius Roehrs Co. (1935). General List of Plants for the Home, Conservatory, and Garden. 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.

Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Aurea’. (2022). [Herbarium specimen, barcode WSY0168482]. RHS Wisley Herbarium.