Purple Heart, Etc., Etc…

Tradescantia pallida

trad-es-KAN-tee-ah  PAL-ih-duh

Syn.

Setcreasea pallida

set-kree-AYE-see-uh   PAL-ih-duh

Synonyms of Tradescantia pallida (6) (Updated 12-13-23 from Plants of the World Online): Setcreasea jaumavensis Matuda, Setcreasea lanceolata Faruqi, Mehra & Celarier, Setcreasea pallida Rose, Setcreasea purpurea Boom, Tradescantia striata Mottet, Tradescantia velutina L.Linden

Tradescantia pallida (Rose) D.R.Hunt is the accepted scientific name for the Purple Heart. It was named and described as such by David Richard Hunt in Kew Bulletin in 1975. It was first named Setcreasea pallida by Joseph Nelson Rose in Contributions from the United States National Herbarium (Smithsonian Institution) in 1911. Many websites still use the synonym

The genus, Tradescantia Ruppius ex L., was named by Heinrich Bernhard Ruppius but later described by Carl von Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753. Some of his writings were published after his death by Albrecht von Haller and Carl von Linnaeus. The genus Ruppia was named after him.

As of 12-13-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 86 accepted species of Tradescantia with a native range from South America through Canada. Tradescantia pallida is a native of Mexico but it is widely grown in many parts of the world. Tradescantia is a member of the Commelinaceae Family with 36 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

There are several links at the bottom of the page for further reading.

My good friend, Kyle Hall, brought me a cutting of the Purple Heart while I was living at the mansion in Mississippi in 2010. I really liked this plant because of its nice purple leaves and carefree habit. I first planted the cutting in a pot where it took off rather quickly.

As it grew, I put several cuttings in the bed next to the west sunroom. The purple leaves stood out very well among the other green foliage.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Commelinaceae.
Origin: Mexico.
Zones: USDA Zones 8a-11 (10 to 40° F).*
Size: Ummm… 8” or so, trailing to ?.**
Light: Sun to part shade.***
Soil: Well-drained soil or potting soil.
Water: Average. Likes moist soil but is also drought tolerant.
USES: Works great in beds, containers, and as a houseplant.

*The Missouri Botanical Garden says USDA Zones 10-11 but Dave’s Garden says 8a-11. When I lived in Leland, Mississippi it would die back during the winter and return in the spring.

**8″ ? The only time they are 8″ is as cuttings or if you cut them off. They grow rather quickly and who knows how long they can actually get since they root at the nodes.

***I never grew mine in full sun, so I am not sure how they would do in that situation. I always had mine in light to part shade when outside. I gave them as much light as possible when inside during the winter.

I put a few cuttings here and there in pots with other plants. The above photo is of the Purple Heart in the pot with a hybrid Banana called ‘Ice Cream’.

The Purple Heart grows very well in pots or in the ground. They make great plants for hanging baskets. They do best in bright light and their leaves will be more green if in less.

The leaves turn a nice dark purple color in more light. They are members of the spiderwort genus and have typical pink three-petaled spiderwort-type flowers.

I forgot to bring any of the Purple Heart with me when I moved from the mansion back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in 2013. I did bring a similar plant given to me by a good friend and fellow plant collector, Walley Morse, from Greenville. It had similar leaves but they were hairy, although not as much as the Tradescantia sillamontana. I gave this plant up in 2014 but found another in 2018 at Wildwood Greenhouse. Then I found out the name was Tradescantia ‘Pale Puma’. Tradescantia ‘Pale Puma’ is actually thought to be a cross between Tradescantia pallida and Tradescantia sillamontana. It is on some websites as Tradescantia pallida ‘Pale Puma’ but it is likely a hybrid and not actually a cultivar of Tradescantia pallida. I had it on my site like that but I realized my error so I corrected it.

<<<<2018>>>>

I contacted my friend, Walley Morse in Mississippi, to see if he could send me a few cuttings. I think I gave him cuttings originally. He gladly sent the cuttings.

The cuttings took off and in about three months they were doing GREAT. I took the above photo the day I had to bring the potted plants inside for the winter because an “F” was in the forecast. Over the winter inside, the Tradescantia get somewhat weird. They are in lower light levels so they stretch, lose a lot of leaves, etc.

<<<<2019>>>>

The Tradescantia pallida made it through the winter and was looking great by June 22 when the above photo was taken.

By October 11 it had grown quite a bit bit. I had to bring the potted plants inside for the winter because an “F” was in the forecast.

<<<<2021>>>>

All the potted plants did very well over the summer even with a little neglect.

I haven’t taken any photos of the Tradescantia pallida since 2021, but as of 12-13-23 when this page was last updated, it is alive and well.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
DAVE’S GARDEN
GUIDE TO HOUSEPLANTS
GARDENIA