‘Pink Furry’

Details

(Understanding this section)

Full name	Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Pink Furry’.
Name status	Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Shared onine with photos by Plantlin (2019). Established with a description by Hatch (2022). Also known as: ‘Variegata’, an invalid name which has been resued for many other cultivars.
Origins	Unknown.
Classification	The species Tradescantia cerinthoides is sometimes labelled with its botanical synonym Tradescantia blossfeldiana.
Legal protection	None.
Availability	Available from a some specialist nurseries.

Description

Preserved in a herbarium specimen (“Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Pink Furry'”, 2023).

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

Species	Tradescantia cerinthoides.
Growth habit	Strong stems which are initially upright, but sprawl and trail as they get longer.
Foliage	Stems are 3-7mm thick with internodes 1-8cm long, dark yellowish green (N189A) to greyish purplish red (N77B), scattered with white hairs especially near the nodes. Leaves are ovals, 5-12cm long and 2-5cm wide, with marginal variegation. The pale background on the upper surfaces is moderate purplish pink (186D) in bright light, to pale yellow (161C) in lower light. The dark stripes are a mixture of colours ranging from dark greyish green (N189A) to dark yellowish green (189A), often with a stain of dark purplish grey (N187A) down the centre vein. In low light, the undersides are dark greyish green (N189B) in dark areas and pale yellow (161C) in light areas. In bright light, undersides are dark purple (79B) in dark areas and moderate reddish purple (N79D) in pale areas. Leaf sheaths are moderate yellow green (147B) to moderate purplish red (186A).
Flowers	12-15mm across. Petals are white at the base and light reddish purple (N75A) to light purple (N81D) at the tips. The sepals are covered with hairs on the outer surface.

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.

Hatch, L. (2022). Commelinaceae: A Guide to Modern and Historic Cultivars.

Tradescantia cerinthoides ‘Pink Furry’. (2023). [Herbarium specimen, barcode WSY0155544]. RHS Wisley Herbarium.