Rhoéo Tradescantié upright habit

Credit: Peter Corbett

White flowers Tradescantia spathacea

Credit: Tereso Hernandez Morale

Leaf rosette Tradescantia spathacea

Credit: Mokkie

Purple and green miseryTradescantia spathacea

Credit: Forest & Kim Starr

Tradescantia spathacea, the rhoéo

With its rosettes of fleshy leaves, Tradescantia spathacea looks more like a succulent than a misery. Yet this plant, native to Mexico and Guatemala, belongs to the Comeliaceae family, like tradescantia 'Nanouk or tradescantia zebrina 'Discolor Multicolor.

How to recognize Tradescantia spathacea?

Tradescantia spathacea is a perennial with a compact, bushy habit. It grows up to 50 centimetres high and 30 centimetres wide. In the open ground, it produces shoots and forms a plant carpet.

Rosettes of erect leaves emerge from an underground stem. After a few years, the rosettes at the base wither and fall off. A fleshy purple stem then emerges.

The rosette is made up of interlocking, sheathing leaves. Thick and lanceolate, they can reach 35 centimetres in length. The green upper surface is streaked with purple or pale green, while the underside is purple.

In the wild, they flower all year round. White flowers in cymes open at the heart of purple bracts. This inflorescence is ephemeral, lasting only a few hours.

Like its cousin the misery plant, rhoéo is not toxic. It is harmless to us and to animals.

Our maintenance tips

The more light your Rhoéo receives, the more its colors will shine through. Give it a bright spot, but keep it out of direct sunlight. Its favorite spot? Behind a curtained window. On summer mornings and evenings, you can even put it out on your windowsill.

Watering

Your Rhoéo appreciates constant humidity. Keep the soil fresh at all times. Water when the substrate is 1 cm dry.

Moisten the soil, without soaking it, with non-calcareous water, preferably rainwater, at room temperature. It's best to place your Tradescantia spathacea on a rack over your sink while you water it. As soon as the water begins to drip through the drainage holes, stop watering.

Drain off any excess water stagnating in the cup and planter. It may rot the roots.

Spray

Fogging helps to increase humidity and prevent attacks by mites or red spiders. Spray foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Tradescantia spathacea to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

In a pierced pot larger than the previous one, place a bed of clay balls, gravel or pebbles. Cover with the substrate. You can mix a special potting soil for green plants or houseplants with sand or compost.

Remove your plant from its container. To help the roots take hold, gently loosen the root bun. Plant in the center of the pot and top up with potting soil.

To improve humidity, place the pot on a dish filled with moist clay balls.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Add green plant fertilizer to watering water.

Prune

To control the growth of creepers on your Rhoéo, you can prune the stems by about a third. Cut with a clean, sharp tool (pruning shears, scissors...) above a healthy leaf. Pruning also helps maintain a compact habit.

Remove dead leaves at the base.

Pinch

Pinch your Tradescantia spathacea during its growing season.

Pinch the ends of the stems to force the plant to branch out and maintain a compact habit.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Using a clean, sharp tool, such as scissors or pruning shears, remove a ten- to fifteen-centimeter stem with at least two nodes and three levels of leaves. Remove the lower limbs, leaving only the terminal pair.

Soak your cutting in a glass of water at room temperature. Only the stem end should be immersed. Change the water every three days to keep it clear.

Place your cutting in a bright spot away from direct sunlight.

Diseases / Threats

Information

Family	Commelinaceae - Commelinaceae
Type	Misery - Tradescantia
Species	Rhoéo - Tradescantia spathacea
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposures	Sun Half-shade
Substrats	Clay soil Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting method	In pots
Category	Herbaceous
Tags	Beginner Increvable
Origin	Central America
Hardiness (USDA)	10a
Leaf color
Flower color