Species library › Tradescantia › Tradescantia subaspera
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Tradescantia subaspera

Zigzag spiderwort is a hardy woodland perennial from the eastern US, with zigzagging stems, broad leaves and violet-blue flowers from May to September. It dies back in winter and does best in rich, moist soil in shade, as a garden plant rather than a houseplant.

Tradescantia subaspera
Photo: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Rich, moist deciduous woods, wooded slopes and bottomlands, usually in partial to full shade. This is consistent with the genus and the advice that it suits shady naturalistic gardens.

Recorded from 3 to 1414 m, median 215 m.

Eastern United States

🔒 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 CC BY 2.0 licence, unmodified.