Details
| Full name | Tradescantia pallida ‘Olwen’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Registered in 2025, the name will be established once published in hardcopy (Brickell et al., 2016, Art. 27.1). |
| Origins | Open-pollinated seedling bred in 2023. The seed parent is Tradescantia pallida ‘Kartuz Giant’. The pollen parent is another unknown T. pallida cultivar. Named after the daughter of the chief of giants in Welsh folklore. Bred, named, registered, and introduced by Avery Rowe in Machynlleth, Wales, UK. |
| Classification | The species Tradescantia pallida is sometimes labelled with its botanical synonyms Setcreasea pallida and Setcreasea purpurea. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Newly introduced in the UK. |
Description
Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition; 2019 reprint).
| Species | Tradescantia pallida. |
| Growth habit | Growth is initially fairly upright, but long stems will eventually start to trail. In intense light it will stay compact and upright for longer, whereas in moderate light it will trail more easily. |
| Foliage | Stems are 6-10mm thick with internodes 2-5cm long, brownish grey (N200B) to light olive grey (197A), hairless. Leaves are extremely wide ovals, 8-12cm long and 7-10cm wide, with the surface crumpled or pleated and usually cupped up towards the stem. The upper surfaces are greyish olive green (NN137A) to moderate yellowish green (138A). The undersides are moderate yellow green (147A) to dark yellowish green (189A), becoming greyish purple (N187B) and edged with dark purplish red (N186D) in bright light. Leaf sheaths range from greyish yellow green (194B) to greyish reddish purple (N77C). The leaves are scattered with white hairs, generally more concentrated on the upper surfaces. |
| Flowers | 18-20mm across. Petals are light reddish purple (N75A), wide and rounded. Stamen filaments and style are purple, anthers are yellow, and stigma is white. |
| Comparisons | Compared to ‘Kartuz Giant’, the foliage is similar in shape but much greener in colour. Compared to ‘Fluorite’, the leaves are flatter and wider, and slightly greener in colour. |
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.