Tradescantia fluminensis - Rio mayfly

While the foliage of Tradescantia flumensis is a delight indoors, this perennial member of the Commelinaceae family is not welcome everywhere. Native to the undergrowth and tropical forests of Brazil and Argentina, it colonizes the soil. The species is considered invasive in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Tradescantia fluminensis is larger than tradescantia fluminensis 'Albiflora. It measures 15 to 50 centimetres high and 30 to 60 centimetres wide. In the open ground, it is a creeping, ground-covering vine. In pots, this herbaceous plant is grown in suspension.

Leaves grow along the fleshy stems. The elongated, sheathing, pointed blades are five centimetres long. Naturally, the foliage is a plain dark green. But you'll find cultivars with variegated, silver-zebra or pink-and-white leaves. With their purple undersides, some can be mistaken for other varieties of Misery.

The Tradescantia fluminensis is nicknamed Rio Ephemera because of its flowering. Between April and September, for a few days at a time, white, three-petaled flowers bloom at the apex of the stems.

Rio mayfly is not toxic to humans or animals. It is, however, destructive to other species. Its resistance to lack of light and ease of reproduction enable it to rapidly invade the soil around it, suffocating all plants in its path. In pots and temperate climates, it's content with the space you give it. So you can adopt it without fear.