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Tradescantia fluminensis 'Aurea' (Golden Inch Plant) - An evergreen perennial groundcover to 6 to 8 inches tall on flat ground but clambering higher over objects and other plants and growing to several feet wide with bright glossy chartreuse colored leaves on lime green stems that cascade nicely and root at the nodes. Small white flowers appear at stems tips in spring and early summer.
Plant in full coastal sun but best in partial sun to shade in most any soil. Its nearly succulent stems make it tough enough to be irrigated only infrequently but it grows fastest and looks more lush with an occasional to regular watering. Hardy to 20-25° F. A nice groundcover on its own or growing through and with other plants where it can brighten up a shady area. Also makes a nice hanging plant.
The species Tradescantia fluminensis comes from Argentina and southern Brazil and is regarded as an invasive plant in many other parts of the world, but this yellow foliaged form is much more constrained. The name of the genus honors the English naturalists and plant collectors John Tradescant (ca. 1570s - 1638) or possibly his son John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1662). It was at one time believed that John Tradescant the Younger first brought the Virginia Spriderwort, Tradescantia virginiana, back to England in 1637 but some contend that the timeline suggests it more likely the plant was given to John Tradescant the elder, who was collector and traveler and also the gardener to the Earl of Salisbury, and not actually collected by either Tradescants. The name for the genus was one proposed by Linnaeus. The specific epithet comes from a Brazilian Portuguese word "fluminense" that comes from the Latin 'flumen' meaning "river" and the suffix 'ense' from the Latin 'ensis' meaning "originating in" in reference to the plant riparian habitat.
This is a plant shared with us in 2022 by the Meadowmaster John Greenlee who had it growing in his Brisbane, California garden.
The information displayed on this page about Tradescantia fluminensis 'Aurea' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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