Species · genus Gibasis · Commelinaceae

Dotted Bridalveil

Gibasis pellucida (M.Martens & Galeotti) D.R.Hunt

Also known as: Bridalveil · Tahitian Bridalveil

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Gibasis pellucida — reference photo — Daderot · CC0

Cultivars of G. pellucida

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under G. pellucida yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Small Trailing Commelinad

Gibasis pellucida, sold under the name Tahitian Bridal Veil, is a member of the Commelinaceae, the same family as the tradescantias it is often confused with. It has in fact been classified at times as Tradescantia (Andersoniana Group) 'Bridal Veil', a sign of how closely the two groups sit together botanically.

Source: RHS

Mexican and Central American Roots

This species is native to a stretch running from Mexico down to El Salvador, including Guatemala, where it grows as a subshrub in seasonally dry tropical habitat. It has since been introduced beyond that native range, turning up in Alabama, Florida, Texas, and South Africa's Free State province.

Source: Kew

A Subshrub With Many Names

In its natural growth form Gibasis pellucida is a subshrub rather than a true herb, and it carries a long list of botanical synonyms, having once been placed under Tradescantia, Tripogandra, and even a separate Gibasis species name. It is also noted for having environmental uses, though the sources here do not spell out what those are.

Source: Kew

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, well-draining peat or coir-based potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings root readily in water or moist soil

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed at half strength monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Freely produces tiny white flowers, even indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Dotted Bridalveil yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.