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Trail away
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This pretty plant can be grown in hanging baskets or as borders
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THE TRADESCANTIA or Wandering Jew is a perennial herb with a trailing habit. Named after John Trade Scant of England it belongs to the family, Commelinaceae. Its place of origin is South Africa.
They are easy to grow, and these trailing plants with trailing stems have prominent nodes and change direction slightly at each node. Leaves are generally pointed, elliptical in shape and without stalk or with very short stalks. Tradescantia quicksilver has small leaves, is oval in shape and is about two inches in length and about an inch across. It is variegated with white streaks that may be minimal or may cover most of the surface. If placed in sunlight and kept rather dry, the whole plant will be suffused with pink, although this is compensated for by slower growth and smaller leaves. In Tradescantia tricolour the leaves are slightly larger than in silver and have narrower stripes of white, pink and yellowish-cream. This also grows in shady areas.
All Tradescantias like to be fairly moist and survive rough handling. The plant does best in a well-lit situation, but does not like direct sunlight. If portions of the plant are inserted in water, they will soon produce roots. It is easier to put seven small cuttings in a small pot (five around the edge and two in the centre). They are very brittle and must be inserted with care in rather light compost. Water carefully until the cuttings are rooted. They will quickly make a potful in a short time and they tend to hang. In the summer, clusters of small, three petals with pinkish white or pink flowers appear at the ends of the trailing stems.
Individual blooms last just one day. All trandescantias tend to lose their lower leaves with age and should be propagated regularly. Pinch the shoot tips to encourage thick growth. If the centre of the pot becomes bare, insert a few cuttings to clothe the bare portion. Tradescantia are mainly used for hanging baskets, also as garden plants for borders.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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