Tradescantia pallida, the misery that turns purple in the sun

Purple Misery (Tradescantia pallida) is a herbaceous member of the Commelinaceae family native to Mexico. Thanks to its graphic purple foliage, it has become a popular houseplant with novice and experienced gardeners alike.

Tradescantia pallida is a 20-centimetre-high creeping plant. Its branches can exceed one metre in length. Outdoors, it spreads out and covers the ground. Indoors, it can be planted in pots or suspended to take advantage of its drooping vines.

Although not a succulent, Tradescantia pallida has water-storing roots and fleshy stems. Fragile, they break if handled carelessly.

The lanceolate, pointed leaves enclose the stem like a sheath or gutter. When there's enough light, the leaf blades are purple or violet on both sides. In the absence of sun, they remain green. The evergreen foliage is dotted with a fine down, almost invisible to the naked eye.

In summer, three-petaled pink flowers appear. They're only one or two centimetres wide, and only bloom for a day!

When the inflorescence is fertilized, it gives rise to a fruit. This takes the form of a capsule containing wrinkled, rough seeds.

Tradescantia pallida is not toxic to humans. It does, however, cause allergic skin reactions in dogs and cats.

It is a perennial plant considered invasive in Australia and New Zealand. Like rio Ephemera, it grows rapidly and multiplies easily in the open ground when weather conditions are favorable. But it behaves like an annual when grown in temperate climates and outdoors. Not very frosty, purple misery cannot withstand several consecutive days of frost.