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Tradescantia gypsophila

A small, rarely grown Tradescantia known only from gypsum hills in the Chihuahuan Desert of Coahuila and nearby Chihuahua, northeast Mexico. It deals with very strong sun, cold dry winters and a short summer rainy season, so it wants a sharp, mineral, gypsum-rich mix and a dry winter rest rather than the moist treatment usual for houseplant spiderworts.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Recorded on open gypsum outcrops and gypsiferous flats in Chihuahuan Desert scrub, where the epithet says it is a gypsum specialist. It probably shelters at the base of shrubs or rocks, which is typical for desert spiderworts.

Records lie between about 900 and 1,760 m, with a median of about 1,350 m.

Mexico Northeast

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.