Details
| Full name | Tradescantia spathacea (Bantam Group) ‘Cream’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Listed online with photos by cuttingsNL (2022). Established by Rowe (2025). |
| Origins | Unknown. |
| Classification | The species Tradescantia spathacea is sometimes sold under its botanical synonyms Tradescantia discolor, Rhoeo spathacea, and Rhoeo discolor. The Bantam Group is a subset of T. spathacea cultivars with a smaller growth habit than the wild form. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Circulates among collectors in Europe. |
Description
Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition; 2019 reprint).
| Species | Tradescantia spathacea (Bantam Group). |
| Growth habit | Compact rosettes which begin to trail as the stems get longer. |
| Foliage | Stems are 3-8mm wide, with internodes 1-3cm long, strong yellow green (144A) but usually covered up by overlapping leaf bases, completely hairless. Leaves are narrow with almost parallel sides, 6-15cm long and 1-2.5cm wide, completely hairless, with sectoral variegation. Upper surfaces are greyish olive green (NN137A) to moderate olive green (146A) on dark areas, and light yellowish pink (159A to 19B) on pale sectors. Undersides are dark purplish grey (N186A) to dark greyish green (N189A) on dark areas, and moderate purplish red (186B) to pale yellow (161C) under pale sectors. |
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.
cuttingsNL. (2022b). Tradescantia spathacea ‘Cream’ : VERY RARE, NEW variegated T. spathacea cultivar, rooted cutting/starter plant, ships frost-free w/ tracking. Etsy. Internet Archive link.
Rowe, A. (2025). Compiling the first Tradescantia cultivar checklist. HortScience, 60(9); 1534-1542. Open access link.