Details
| Full name | Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group) ‘Charlotte’s Web’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Established with a description by Hansen (2018). |
| Origins | Origins documented by Hansen (2018). A cross between an unreleased seed parent, which was a cross between Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group) ‘Sweet Kate’ and Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group) ‘Tall and Blue’; and an unreleased pollen parent, which was a chemically induced mutation from Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group) ‘Zwanenburg Blue’. Bred and named by Hans Hansen in Zeeland, Michigan, USA. Introduced by Walters Gardens, Inc in Zeeland, Michigan, USA. |
| Classification | Like other hardy garden hybrids, it is now placed in the Andersoniana Group. These hybrids are sometimes mislabelled as Tradescantia virginiana or the invalid botanical hybrid Tradescantia × andersoniana. |
| Legal protection | Patented in the USA (Hansen, 2018). |
| Availability | Available from a small number of nurseries in the USA, rare elsewhere. |
Description
Described by Hansen (2018), with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (4th edition).
| Cultivar group | Tradescantia Andersoniana Group. |
| Growth habit | Arching bushy mound. 45cm high, 80-90cm spread. |
| Foliage | Stem internodes are about 9.4cm long and 8mm wide, swelling to 11mm at the node. Stems are moderate yellow green (147C to 147D), becoming tinted with dark red (187B) with direct sun and cool temperatures. Leaves are about 29cm long and 19mm across, with hairs along the margins. Upper and lower surfaces are moderate yellowish green (138A to 137D) in lower light, brilliant yellow (11A) in bright light. Margins are dark red (187A to 187B). |
| Flowers | Flower stalks are about 15mm long and 1mm wide, greenish white (157D) near the base and deep purplish red (59B) near the tip. Buds are about 10mm long and 3.5mm wide, moderate yellow green (146D). Sepals are about 7.5mm long and 4mm wide, outsides are hairy and strong yellowish green (N144A), insides are hairless and strong yellowish green (N144A) with speckles of dark red (59A). Flowers are 30mm across. Insides of the petals are strong violet (93C) to light violet (93D) at the centre, and strong violet (93B to 93C) at the edges. Outsides of the petals are light violet (92C) at the centre, and strong violet (93B) to light violet (93D) at the edges. Stamen filaments are dark purple (79C), anthers are vivid yellow (9A). Style is very pale purple (85D) at the base, and strong violet (N88A) to deep violet (N89B) at the tip. |
References
Hansen, H. A. (2018, May 17). Tradescantia plant named ‘Charlotte’s Web’ [US patent application 2018/0139881 P1]. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Internet Archive link.