A traditional common name for several trailing tradescantias from Latin America, prized as easy houseplants with vivid purple or silver striped leaves.
Description
Wandering jew has soft jointed stems carrying oval pointed leaves striped purple and silver above and rich purple beneath. Tiny three-petaled pink flowers open seasonally at the stem tips.
Cultivation
Extremely easy to grow and root from cuttings, wandering jew tolerates a wide range of conditions. Bright filtered light keeps the colors brilliant; low light dulls them to plain green.
Uses
A long-popular trailing houseplant in homes and offices, wandering jew is also grown in shaded tropical landscapes as a fast-spreading groundcover.