Common name: Trad, Wandering Spiderwort
Tradescantia fluminensis Vell. APNI* Synonyms: Tradescantia albiflora Kunth APNI*
Description: Perennial, ± succulent herb; roots thin, fibrous, purplish; stems branching, rooting at the nodes, prostrate or slightly ascending at the tips.
Leaves subsessile, glabrous; lamina ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2.5–5.5 cm long, 1–2.5 cm broad, subcordate at the base; sheath 5–8 mm long, ciliate at the orifice.
Flowers 15–20 per inflorescence, pedicels 1–2 cm long. Sepals green, 5–8 mm long. Petals white, broadly ovate to elliptical, 7–10 mm long. Staminal filaments bearded with long white hairs.
Flowering: Spring to Summer; later in warmer parts of the State.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread in higher rainfall areas of the State; also in Qld and Vic. Native of South America. Widely naturalised garden escape found on creek banks and in shaded places, especially in rainforest.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *NWS, *CWS, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas.
Often difficult to eradicate as it grows readily from fragments of stems. Also known as Tradescantia albiflora, which may be a separate species (currently being researched).
Text by Peter G. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2015)
Taxon concept: Flora NSW, vol 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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