Tradescantia fluminensis Vell.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Ndundu Lodge, Vumba

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Synonyms:	Tradescantia albiflora Kunth Tradescantia laekenensis L.H.Bailey & E.Z.Bailey
Common names:	Inch plant (English) River spiderwort (English) Small-leaved spiderwort (English) Wandering gypsy (English) Wandering Jew (English) Wandering trad (English) Wandering willie (English)
Frequency:	Locally common as an escape
Status:	Cultivated and locally escaping
Description:	Spreading prostrate perennial with soft, hairless stems rooting at the nodes. Leaves oblong-elliptic, 32–64 mm long, hairless dark-green, shiny, slightly fleshy. Flowers in small clusters, white, 13–25 mm in diameter with with three equal petals.
Type location:
Notes:	This fleshy, creeping species has become locally naturalised in the Vumba. It was absolutely rampant on our property (Ndundu Lodge) and did escape onto the forest floor. I also clearly remember it escaped all over the forest near Genaina Lodge. (Bart Wursten, in litt., 2014).
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	Along forest margins and in moist shaded areas on the forest floor.
Altitude range: (metres)	1600 - 1700 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Native to tropical South America, cultivated in gardens and escaping elsewhere in the tropics where it may become invasive.
National distribution:	E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Bromilow, C. (2010). Problem Plants and Alien Weeds of South Africa Briza Publications, South Africa Page 327. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Tradescantia fluminensis:

Our websites:

Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Tradescantia fluminensis

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Tradescantia fluminensis
African Plant Database: Tradescantia fluminensis
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Tradescantia fluminensis
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Tradescantia fluminensis
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Tradescantia fluminensis
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Tradescantia fluminensis
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Tradescantia fluminensis
JSTOR Plant Science: Tradescantia fluminensis
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Tradescantia fluminensis
Plants of the World Online: Tradescantia fluminensis
Tropicos: Tradescantia fluminensis
Wikipedia: Tradescantia fluminensis