Tradescantia Sillamontana Variegata features a velvety soft feel pubescent top and bottom foliage. It is a must have for every tradescantia collector.
Here’s a photo of my very first cutting from 4/7/2020.
I’ve learned that their pretty bright pink flowers only lasts for 24 hours which makes them extra special to me.
(Variegated sillamontana thriving indoors
under a full spectrum led grow light for 12-16 hours daily.)
The blooms produces seeds which you can keep, dry, germinate and plant to produce an entirely new plant. I am able to collect seeds from the variegated plant and do exactly just that.
(Two juvenile leaves on the left side are grown from seeds I collected from the blooms of variegated sillamontana. The variegated juvenile leaf on the right is a tradescantia mundula variegata grown from the plants seeds
collected from the flower.)
(Same juvenile leaves above grown a few weeks
after repotting from germination tray to a little terracotta pot.)
I also learned that their 'fuzzy' leaves has both advantages and disadvantages. One main advantage of having this leaf texture is that it helps shade the plant from intense sunlight. Knowing this, I am able to keep them outdoors under direct morning sun. Please be aware that I am located in California. We get 3 digits high temperatures in my area (San Joaquin County) and have always placed my pots of variegated and non-variegated tradescantia sillamontana plant in areas of my porch that only gets direct morning sunlight and indirect light all afternoon.
Pubescent leaves on any other plants helps reduce evaporation. Like succulents, (1) they are able to retain water longer than the other tradescantia with smooth leaves. Remember this plant trait when watering them. I can let my entire medium dry out and I will have no problem with it. And (2), you'll know it needs water when you can bend the leaves easily without breaking it. It will feel limp. A well watered plant will have a much sturdier/harder leaves and will actually break when you try to bend it.
Though this plant is naturally green and yellow stripes, they are (3) capable of blushing when exposed to intense light for a long period of time.
(These stems had been grown from leaf propagation and were thriving
indoors under a full spectrum led grow light for 12-16 hours daily.)
A trade off for the plants advantage of having a fuzzy leaf is that it reduces the rate of photosynthesis and one of its the disadvantages. However in a controlled environment, like in my garage where I keep most of my plants for for sale (indoors), I noticed that colder temperature makes them grow at higher rate then when they are outdoors during fall and winter. It must have something to do with photosynthesis if you asked me but I have not researched, studied or observed in terms of how photosynthesis works when the living condition is colder.
You can purchase a tradescantia sillamontana variegata from the shop. Please visit this link to see what’s currently in stock.
All photos in my website are taken by me and are plants in my collection unless otherwise stated.
Please do not use any of my photos without permission.
Copyright © Czarina Nocon, Chic Planting 2021. All rights reserved.
Return from Tradescantia Sillamontana Variegata Tradescantia to Tradescantia Plant Care and Identification Blog’s Main Page