Tradescantia spathacea or Misery Grass

There Tradescantia spathacea is a houseplant, which belongs to the Commelinaceae family and is native to the tropical areas of Central and South America, it is part of a genus of 75 herbaceous species. In common parlance it's called "misery weed" because it is able to survive any adversity and lack of fertilizer, it requires very little care and adapts to any external and internal environment. IS' very appreciated for the mass of decorative greenery and falling, for its rusticity that makes it almost unassailable by parasites, due to its limited size and low cost.

The Grass misery produces beautiful fleshy purple leaves dark metallic on the top and dark purple on the bottom. To ensure variegated coloring it needs a lot of light but not the direct rays of the sun. Its stems are soft and thin, fleshy and gnarled, covered with very light and soft hairs, on which they fit leaves of small-medium size, with lanceolate oval shape.

It is a species known for centuries, it was in fact described for the first time in 1788 and its name is linked to the surname of two English naturalists who have studied it thoroughly.

CARE

From spring and throughout the summer it is necessary water the Tradescantia abundantly in order to keep the always moist soil always avoiding stagnation, while in the period between autumn and winter it should be watered enough to keep the soil just slightly moist but allowing the soil to dry on the surface between one wetting and the other. Nothing else is needed to make this plant splendid, which with very little effort will give you a very high aesthetic value and lots of company.

CURIOSITY'

In addition to their use as plants ornamental, theTradescantia it is of economic importance because numerous species have become pests for cultivated crops. They have also been used as bio indicators for the detection of environmental mutagens.