Tradescantia pallida Purple Heart - purple-heart spiderwort

Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' is a creeping indoor or outdoor plant prized for its stunning purple foliage that cascades in hanging baskets. Its brittle stems bear alternate leaves of deep purple on top and a brighter purple underneath. This variety thrives particularly well indoors with bright light, in the gentle morning or evening sun. It can tolerate more sun, but beware of leaf burn! It can also be grown outdoors in mild climates. 'Purple Heart' has received an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England.

Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart', also known as Setcreasea purpurea, belongs to the Commelinaceae family. This cultivar is synonymous with Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'. This perennial plant has a creeping habit in the wild and a trailing habit in pots, with thick, fragile purple stems that elongate and trail gracefully, typically reaching a length of 45 cm or more. The alternate leaves measure between 5 and 12 cm in length. They are elongated, pointed at the tip, with a dark purple upper surface and a bright purple underside. Flowering is rare in indoor cultivation and usually occurs in summer. The 2.5 cm flowers have three pink petals. In mild climates, it can be grown outdoors; in this case, it disappears with frost but returns the following spring. In colder climates, the plant behaves as an annual.

The Tradescantia genus includes around 60 species, mainly native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. The species Tradescantia pallida is native to Mexico, endemic to Yucatan, Central and South America.

In indoor cultivation, Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' prefers bright light with some direct sun exposure, except during the hottest hours. It appreciates ambient humidity of 50 to 70% and temperatures between 18 and 25 °C. Water regularly, keeping the substrate slightly moist, but avoiding excess water which could lead to root rot. A well-draining substrate, rich in organic matter, is ideal for its development. It propagates very easily from cuttings.

Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Heart' catches the eye with its stunning colour and foliage that will trail from a hanging pot. Choose a neutral or contrasting colour. It is the ideal plant to bring life to your shelves or to add colour to a bright corner. Pair it with other easy-to-care-for trailing plants like Ceropegia woodii (string of hearts), a Hoya or a Senecio mandraliscae, all three of which also appreciate some direct sun.