Houseplant KeepersJul 9, 2023
Tradescantia Hub

Welcome new mastodon people! I've never actually done an #introduction so here I go.

I'm the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the #Tradescantia genus, which means I research the correct names of all tradescantia cultivars in the world.

I have a living collection of tradescantias and other Commelinaceae plants which I study, and sell cuttings to fund my research.

Ask me to identify your tradescantia plant!

https://tradescantia.uk

@plants @houseplants #plants #houseplants

Tradescantia Hub • Centre for cultivar research and info

Find out about identifying cultivars, registering new types, plant collecting, care, and research about the Commelinaceae family.

Tradescantia Hub • Centre for tradescantia cultivars and information
Nov 18, 2022 at 1:35pmWeb
Show threadBahrtHrabnNov 18, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants Gorgeous!!
Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants
very cool! Do you grow only cultivars (are they generally hybrids or mostly sports?) or do you grow species also?
Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022
@cohanf @plants @houseplants I grow pretty much exclusively cultivars. I have a handful of species which I keep as backups for my friend's species collection, but I'll admit they're not my favourites! 😅
Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022

@cohanf @plants @houseplants

The genus is divided pretty sharply into two groups - frost-hardy garden perennials grown for their flowers (mostly the Andersoniana Group), and tender tropicals grown for foliage.

The hardy types hybridise very easily and most of those cultivars are from seeds (selective breeding or volunteers). But the tropical types tend to be much less fertile in household conditions and seedlings are rare - so most tropical cultivars arise from sports or wild collections.

Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022

@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants I tend to forget about hardy sorts (not many for my climate, I think.- there was a nearly weedy one I saw in Toronto-still not my climate..lol- and I've heard of a few others, but never grown).

I'm partial to anything that will grow from seed, since there are few interesting plants available where I live-- things in mainstream commerce will make it to big stores here- and even mail order etc is limited as most U.S. and European sources don't ship to Canada!

Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022
@cohanf @plants @houseplants Often people know about *either* the hardy types or the tropical types (depending on whether they're more outdoor gardeners or houseplant people), and then get surprised when they discover there's another entire half of the genus they've never seen 😁
Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants I'm surprised they haven't been separated into different genera yet...lol
Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022
@cohanf @plants @houseplants They actually used to be separate, but at the moment they're all combined 😅
Show threadThreeDollarBillNov 22, 2022
@cohanf @TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants Chiltern Seeds seems to be ok w shipping to CA.
Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022
@3DBill @TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants seeds are much more possible for shipping from many places, and trading with other growers too. Getting plants across borders is trickier!
Show threadThreeDollarBillNov 22, 2022
@cohanf @TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants oh yes quite right.
Show threadspamchopNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @cohanf @plants @houseplants Hello.
How tender are the tenders?
I'm asking as a gardener in urban Cambridge, where my echiums come through unprotected.
We do get a half dozen or so sub-0 nights but have areas of the garden which don't frost.
Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022

@spamchop @cohanf @plants @houseplants It's different for different species, and I don't have completely info about them all (yet)!

I can say that I had a T. zebrina in an unheated porch last winter which got down to 0 but not below, and it survived fine.

I've also heard lots of people say that T. pallida, T. sillamontana, and T. 'Maiden's Blush' can all survive freezing - the foliage dies off but grows back in spring.

Show threadTradescantia HubNov 22, 2022
@spamchop @cohanf @plants @houseplants I'd always suggest trying out your specific plants in your specific conditions, since it's always difficult to generalise or predict. Just make sure to keep a backup indoors in case it doesn't survive winter outside!
Show threadspamchopNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @cohanf @plants @houseplants thank you :) I'll have a play!
Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @spamchop @plants @houseplants I know I saw a lot of pallida ( I think) growing outdoors in Miami-- they don't get much frost there, but I imagine occasionally..
Show threadcohanNov 22, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants I do tend to have a special love for species anything, but I'm *much* more open to cool foliage plant cultivars vs ridiculous hybrid flowers 😆
Show threadMattNov 24, 2022
@TradescantiaHub Hello! Glad to meet you, big fan of the genus! https://social.coop/@matt/109394558818065653
Matt (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image I bought an “inch plant” (tradescantia zebrina) a while ago and very nearly killed it. Several weeks of care, and quite brutal pruning, and he’s back to his prime I think. Lovely leaves!

social.coop
Show threadSonya Nov 25, 2022
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants I've not heard of the Purple Pixie. It's lovely! I bought a Nanouk this year and someone gave me a Silver. They're neat plants.
Show threadInfamous Mx. Hex 🧿 Apr 29, 2023
@TradescantiaHub @plants @houseplants my wife works for a landscaping company that grows 3 different andersoniana cultivars - Sweet Kate, Concord Grape, and Amethyst Kiss. Would you be interested in one of each for your collection?
Show threadTradescantia HubApr 29, 2023

@witchpunkboi

That's very kind of you to offer! At the moment I'm only collecting living samples for the tropical cultivars. David Simpson is the UK National Collection Holder for the Andersoniana Group and its ancestor species, you can check out his website here: https://thespiderwortcollection.wordpress.com/ :)

Spiderwort

The National Collection of Tradescantia Andersoniana Group & Tradescantia virginiana cultivars

Spiderwort