View source for Tradescantia spathacea

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Tradescantia spathacea
|accepted_authority=Swartz
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Prodr.
|place=57. 1788
|year=1788
}}
|common_names=Moses-in-the-cradle;oyster-plant;boat-lily
|special_status={{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=W
|label=Weedy
}}{{Treatment/ID/Special_status
|code=I
|label=Introduced
}}
|basionyms=
|synonyms={{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Rhoeo discolor
|authority=(L'Héritier) Hance ex Walpers
|rank=species
}} {{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Rhoeo spathacea
|authority=(Swartz) Stearn
|rank=species
}}
|hierarchy=Commelinaceae;Tradescantia;Tradescantia spathacea
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Commelinaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Tradescantia]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>species</small>[[Tradescantia spathacea]]</div></div>
|volume=Volume 22
|mention_page=
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Herbs,</b> erect or ascending, rarely rooting at nodes. <b>Stems</b> unbranched, short. <b>Leaves</b> spirally arranged; blade usually abaxially purple, adaxially green, strap-shaped, to 35 × 5 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), leathery, succulent, glabrous. <b>Inflorescences</b> axillary, sessile, or pedunculate in axils well below shoot apex, cymes enclosed in pairs of boat-shaped spathes. <b>Flowers</b> distinctly pedicillate; pedicels glabrous; sepals distinct, white, 3–6 mm, glabrous; petals distinct, white, ovate, not clawed; stamens free; filaments bearded. <b>Capsules</b> 3- or (by abortion) 2-locular, 3–4 mm. <b>Seeds</b> 1 per locule, 3–4 mm. <b>2n</b> = 12 (Belize).</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|phenology=Flowering winter (Jan).
|habitat=Occasionally escaped to hammocks and weedy places
|distribution=Fla.;Mexico;West Indies;Central America.
|introduced=true
|discussion=<p><i>Tradescantia spathacea</i> is native to southern Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

--><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Tradescantia spathacea
|authority=Swartz
|rank=species
|parent rank=genus
|synonyms=Rhoeo discolor;Rhoeo spathacea
|basionyms=
|family=Commelinaceae
|phenology=Flowering winter (Jan).
|habitat=Occasionally escaped to hammocks and weedy places
|distribution=Fla.;Mexico;West Indies;Central America.
|introduced=true
|reference=None
|publication title=Prodr.
|publication year=1788
|special status=Weedy;Introduced
|source xml=https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/bb6b7e3a7de7d3b7888a1ad48c7fd8f5c722d8d6/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V22/V22_587.xml
|genus=Tradescantia
|species=Tradescantia spathacea
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Tradescantia]]