Tradescantia spathacea (Rhoeo discolor)Moses in the Cradle

Turn a leaf of Tradescantia spathacea over and the reason it is planted becomes obvious: the underside is a vivid purple against dark green above, so the whole mass shifts colour as the light moves. Moses in the Cradle takes its common name from the small white flowers cupped in boat-shaped purple bracts at the leaf bases. Older catalogues and many Gulf nurseries still list it as Rhoeo discolor.

It is one of the most widely used low ground covers in hot climates, holding a bed edge, a median or a planter without irrigation or attention.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.4 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres, spreading
• Native toSouthern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala
• FoliageStiff, lance-shaped leaves, dark green above and vivid purple beneath; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates most free-draining soils, including poor, sandy and rocky ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade; leaf colour is strongest in good light
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions and is frost-sensitive

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall white flowers cupped in boat-shaped purple bracts at the leaf bases, most of the year
• UsesIdeal for mass ground cover, edging, median and verge planting, containers and interior planting
• SpacingPlant 0.25 to 0.3 metres apart for a closed cover within a season
• Low MaintenanceShear back when it becomes untidy; no irrigation required once established
• Pest ResistanceRobust and generally free of pests
• Drought ToleranceHolds colour and form through extended dry periods
• VersatilityWorks outdoors in full sun and equally well in a shaded interior planter
• ToxicityThe sap can irritate skin on contact

Moses in the Cradle covers difficult ground fast and keeps its purple colour where most low planting would burn off.