Species · genus Tradescantia · Commelinaceae

Flowering Inch Plant

Tradescantia cerinthoides Kunth

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast

Reference · T. cerinthoides

Cultivars of T. cerinthoides

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

No named cultivars catalogued under T. cerinthoides 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 trailing subshrub from the subtropical forests of southeastern South America, with somewhat fleshy stems and leaves that store moisture and resent staying wet. Give it bright indirect light to keep its growth compact and its color, and let the top inch of mix dry before watering again. It tolerates ordinary household humidity and prefers to run slightly dry rather than sit soggy.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–27 °C

Soil mix

Loose, well-draining potting mix with added perlite

Propagation

Stem cuttings root readily in water or moist soil

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Small pink-lilac blooms appear intermittently indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Inch plant / wandering dude — irritant sap; dermatitis, mild GI upset. 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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Flowering Inch Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.