Indoor Hanging plant- Tradescantia (Wandering Jew): Floral formula

Tradescantia is a beautiful, fast-growing ornamental hanging plant commonly cultivated in homes, on balconies, and in pots. Its scientific name is *Tradescantia zebrina*. Its leaves may feature green, purple, or silvery stripes, making it visually very attractive. This plant has a creeping or trailing growth habit, making it an excellent choice for planting in hanging pots. Tradescantia flowers are small, three-petaled, and come in shades of pink, purple, or white. It is easy to grow—requiring minimal maintenance—and propagates rapidly via cuttings. The plant thrives in low light, with moderate watering, and in well-draining soil.

Scientific Name: Tradescantia zebrina

Some Basic Information about Tradescantia (Wandering Jew / Inch Plant) - Indoor hanging plant

Habit: Perennial, evergreen creeping or trailing herb; forms dense mats or cascading stems, usually 30–100 cm long, spreading rapidly under suitable conditions

Root: Adventitious roots arise from nodes; roots develop easily when nodes come in contact with soil or moist surfaces, aiding vegetative propagation

Stem: Prostrate or trailing, soft, succulent, branched; green to purplish in color; nodes distinct; stems are fragile but root quickly

Leaf: Alternate, simple, sessile or shortly petiolate; ovate to lanceolate; margin entire; surface smooth, often variegated with green, silver, and purple stripes; lower surface typically purple; texture soft and slightly fleshy

Inflorescence: Axillary or terminal cymes, often enclosed in boat-shaped bracts; few-flowered clusters

Flower: Bracteate, complete, actinomorphic, bisexual; small but showy; usually white, pink, or purple

Calyx: Sepals 3, free, green, slightly hairy; valvate aestivation

Corolla: Petals 3, free, delicate, brightly colored; imbricate aestivation

Androecium: Stamens 6, free; filaments often bearded (hairy); anthers yellow, dehiscing longitudinally

Gynoecium: Ovary superior, tricarpellary, syncarpous; trilocular with axile placentation; style single, stigma small and capitate

Fruit: Capsule, small, loculicidal, containing few seeds

Floral Formula: Br ⊕ ⚥ K3 C3 A6 G(3)

Systematic Position:

Division – Angiospermae
Class – Monocotyledonae
Order – Commelinales
Family – Commelinaceae
Genus – Tradescantia
Species – zebrina