Details
| Full name | Tradescantia pallida ‘Pink Stripe’. |
| Name status | Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Established with a description by San Marcos Growers (2011, p. 40). Also known as:
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| Origins | Unknown. First sold with no cultivar name by Plant Delights (2003, p. 30). |
| Classification | The species Tradescantia pallida is sometimes labelled with its botanical synonyms Setcreasea pallida and Setcreasea purpurea. |
| Legal protection | None. |
| Availability | Available from some nurseries and specialists. |
Description
Preserved in a herbarium specimen (“Tradescantia pallida ‘Pink Stripe'”, 2023).
Described with reference to the RHS Colour Chart (6th Edition: 2019 reprint).
The entire plant can vary its appearance dramatically in different conditions – changing in growth habit, leaf shape, size, hairiness, and colour. It’s impossible to cover every possible variation, but this general summary describes a healthy plant grown in typical indoor conditions (moderate light) and outdoors in full sun (intense light).
| 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 3-7mm wide, with internodes 1-6cm long – usually longer at the base and shorter towards the top of flowering stalks. They are greyish purple (N77A) in intense light, greyish olive green (NN137A) to moderate yellow green (147C) in moderate light. Leaves are long ovals, 8-13cm long and 2-4cm wide, with fluffy hairs scattered over both surfaces. In intense light on new growth, the upper surfaces are dark greyish purple (N186B), with random stripes of moderate purplish red (64A) covering from 0-100% of the leaf surface. In moderate light and on older growth, the dark parts of the leaves fade to dark greyish green (N189A), and the albino parts to moderate yellow green (N148B). Undersides are dark purple (79A), striped with strong reddish purple (NN78B). Leaf sheaths are greyish purplish red (N77D) to light yellow green (145C). |
| Flowers | Petals are light purple (76A to 77C). |
References
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. (2003). Securing Our Borders: 2003 Fall Sales Catalog and Plant Owner’s Manual. Copy in possession of Avery Rowe.
San Marcos Growers. (2011). [Catalogue]. Internet Archive link.
Tradescantia pallida ‘Pink Stripe. (2023). [Herbarium specimen, barcode WSY0168559]. RHS Wisley Herbarium.