‘Viridis’

Details

(Understanding this section)

Full name	Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Viridis’.
Name status	Accepted, the valid name for a unique cultivar. Established by Heinemann (1893, p. 117). Because it was published before 1959, the Latin name with no description can be accepted (Brickell et al., 2016, Arts. 21.11, 27.1). Also known as: ‘Veridissima’, an established synonym. ‘Green Glow’, an invalid unpublished name. This plant is often labelled with no cultivar name, so there is no name widely in use. Based on the description by Kühl (1927, p. 317), ‘Viridis’ is now accepted as the oldest and most-used historic name for this cultivar.
Origins	Unknown.
Classification	The species Tradescantia fluminensis has sometimes been labelled with its botanical synonym Tradescantia albiflora, and with the invalid horticultural names Tradescantia viridis, Tradescantia repens, and Tradescantia reptans. ‘Viridis’ is now accepted as the name for this pure green cultivar of the species.
Legal protection	None.
Availability	Widely available, often labelled only as the species.

Description

Preserved as a herbarium specimen (“Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Viridis'”, 2022).

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

Species	Tradescantia fluminensis.
Growth habit	Low-growing, creeping stems which will spread out of any container and trail downwards. Very fast and vigorous growth.
Foliage	Stems are 2-4mm wide, with internodes 2-6cm long, smooth except for one line of tiny hairs running along the length. New growth stems are moderate olive green (146A), darker with age (147A). Leaves are pointed ovals, 4-6cm long and 2-3cm wide, smooth except for a few hairs at the top of the sheath. The upper surfaces are moderate olive green 137A), the undersides are greyish yellow green (191B), and the sheaths are moderate yellow green (143D). In lower light, the stems tend to be longer and thinner – but the colours do not change significantly.
Flowers	Flowers are 15-17mm across. Petals are pure white and pointed. Anthers are yellow, stamen filaments and pistil are white.
Comparisons	Compared to Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Bicolor’, it has green leaf undersides instead of purple.

References

Heinemann, F. C. (1893). General-katalog [General catalog]. Internet Archive link.

Kühl, O. (1927). Gartenschönheit [Garden beauty]. Internet Archive link.

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.

Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Viridis’. (2022). [Herbarium specimen, barcode WSY0168488]. RHS Wisley Herbarium.