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Species library › Tradescantia › Tradescantia spathacea
Other Well documented

Tradescantia spathacea

The familiar Moses-in-the-cradle (oyster plant), a rosette of stiff, waxy leaves that are green above and purple beneath. It is native to lowland southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It is easy and forgiving: warm, bright indirect light to some sun, and water when the top of the mix dries.

Tradescantia spathacea
Photo: Jim Conrad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Lowland tropical forest edges, rocky limestone outcrops and open disturbed ground in the Yucatán and Gulf lowlands. It often grows on rock or thin soils where it gets part sun.

Mostly lowland, with records from sea level to about 1,650 m (median 53 m).

Mexico (Gulf, Southeast, Southwest)BelizeGuatemala

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.