Tradescantia fluminensis
Common names
wandering Jew
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Trailing perennial with succulent stems, rooting readily at nodes. Forms a carpet up to 50cm thick. Alternate leaves 3-6 cm long, ovate-elliptic, shining and loosely clasping the stem. Leaves are typically dark green, but can have longitudinal stripes and/or purplish bases, these forms typically revert to green. The flowers are in clusters, are star-shaped and have 3 delicate white petals that are 10mm long. Seed not seen in NZ.
Similar taxa
There are other species of Tradescantia in cultivation but none as widespread as T. fluminensis. T. zebrinus Bosse is green and white striped with deep purple undersides. T. cerinthoides Kunth is shortly creeping, and rather succulent. The stems are usually semi-erect. The stems are dark purple, the leaves are dark green often striped purple or completely purple. The leaves are very hairy on the undersides
Habitat
Terrestrial. A lowland plant of sites with moderate fertility. Can rapidly invade light gaps but prefers cool moist and shaded conditions. Thrives in forest, scrub and forest margins, cliffs, bluffs, and riverbed communities.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Commelinaceae
Ecology
Flowering
December, January
Year naturalised
1916
Origin
Brazil
Reason for introduction
Ornamental.
Tolerances
Very tolerant to shade. Experimentally shown to grow at irradience levels 1-90% normal daylight over most of the year (Maule et al., 1995) and in poor drainage. Is intolerant to frost, but can quickly recover, or survive under trees etc where frosts are lighter. Resprouts from shoot fragments after physical damage and grazing (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995).
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. No seed is produced in New Zealand. Fragments are dispersed by water, stock and humans (through dumping of garden rubbish, soil movement, pot plants and deliberate planting)
Propagation technique
Vegetatively reproduces from adventitious roots on branching stems and fragmentation.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
fluminensis: From the Latin flumen ‘river and -ensis ‘origin’, meaning growing near rivers
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
TRAFLU