Taxon: Tradescantia spathacea Sw.

• Check PlantSearch database of Botanic Gardens Conservation International for possible non-NPGS germplasm.

Common names:

• boat-lily   (Source: Kew Bull 41:401.1986) – English
  
• Moses-in-the-cradle   (Source: F NAmer ) – English
  
• oysterplant   (Source: F NAmer ) – English
  
• purpurblättrige Dreimasterblume   (Source: Zander Ency ) – German
  
• blomstervagga   (Source: Vara kulturvaxt namn ) – Swedish
  

Economic importance:

• Environmental: ornamental   (fide Zander ed14; R. Faden, pers. comm. 1996; Invasive Pl Spec)
  
• Vertebrate poisons: mammals   (fide Lampe & McCann)
  
• Weed   (fide Invasive Pl Spec)
  

More:

View toxicology references for Tradescantia spathacea from FDA Poisonous Plant Database

Distributional range:

• NORTHERN AMERICA
  Southern Mexico: Mexico - Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatan
• SOUTHERN AMERICA
  Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Martinique; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and Grenadines
  Mesoamerica: Belize; Guatemala

• AFRICA
  Western Indian Ocean: Seychelles
• ASIA-TEMPERATE
  China: China [s.e.]
• ASIA-TROPICAL
  Malesia: Philippines
• NORTHERN AMERICA
  Southeastern U.S.A.: United States - Florida, Louisiana
• PACIFIC
  North-Central Pacific: United States - Hawaii
  Northwestern Pacific: Micronesia
  Southwestern Pacific: Fiji
• SOUTHERN AMERICA
  Caribbean: Bahamas; Cuba; Jamaica; Puerto Rico
  Mesoamerica: Honduras; Nicaragua
  Western South America: Ecuador; Peru

• widely cultivated

References:

• Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. 2009. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin).
• Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
• Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen.
• Faden, R. B. 1996. pers. comm. [re. common names].
• Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:185–186. [introd.].
• Govaerts, R. World checklist of selected plant families (on-line resource).
• Howard, R. 1974–1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles. [= Rhoeo spathacea].
• Hunt, D. R. 1986. Campelia, Rhoeo and Zebrina united with Tradescantia: American Commelinaceae: XIII. Kew Bull. 41:401.
• Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann. 1985. AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants.
• Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds.
• Wunderlin, R. & B. Hansen. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (on-line resource).

More:

Search AGRICOLA article citation database for citations referencing Tradescantia spathacea.

Search NCBI's Entrez search engine for PubMed citations referencing Tradescantia spathacea.

Search Biodiversity Heritage Library for historical publications referencing Tradescantia spathacea.

Synonyms:

• (=) Rhoeo discolor (L’Hér.) Hance
  
• (≡) Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Stearn
  
• (=) Tradescantia discolor L’Hér.
  

Check other web resources for Tradescantia spathacea Sw.:

• Flora of North America: Collaborative Floristic Effort of North American Botanists
• PLANTS: USDA-NRCS Database of Plants of the United States and its Territories
• BONAP: North American Plant Atlas of the Biota of North America Program
• TROPICOS: Nomenclatural and Specimen Database of the Missouri Botanical Garden
• ePIC: Electronic Plant Information Centre of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• AGRICOLA: Article Citation Database or NAL Catalog of USDA's National Agricultural Library
• Entrez: NCBI's search engine for PubMed citations, GenBank sequences, etc.

Check other web resources for images:

• PlantSystematics.org
• Note: Be advised that their identity may be inaccurate. Proper identification of a plant may require specialized taxonomic knowledge or comparison with properly documented herbarium material.

Abbreviations & symbols in GRIN Taxonomy

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