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Tradescantia sillamontana variegata
Place in a sunny location, can tolerate partial shade.
Always water a few days after the substrate has dried out. Watering should be reduced in winter, but can be continued throughout the year.
The plant is not hardy.
The variegated form is not only a more attractive variant of the classic plant in colour and pattern, but is also a highly prized collector's piece.
Tradescantia sillamontana variegata, is also known as White Velvet or Cobweb Spiderwort. The native form is found in the Nuevo Leon Mountains in northern Mexico. It gets its name from the Cerro de la Silla mountain where it grows in the wild.
The plant is covered with a thick layer of relatively long, white hairs. The leaves underneath are dull olive green to grey-green in colour. This is interspersed with whitish to yellow stripes and the entire leaf may take on a pinkish or purplish tinge in the sun. The undersides of the leaves often turn purple and the leaves grow up to 5 cm long and 7.5 cm wide. The stems are densely branched, growing up to 40 cm and often rooting where they touch the soil.
The flowers turn bright purple-pink. They bloom in summer at the tops of the stems or in the axils of the bracts.
The succulent likes moist but well-drained and acidic soil. Scattered light is ideal, but full sun is fine as long as the soil remains moist. It can be fertilised with cactus and succulent fertiliser or houseplant fertiliser. It is a prized and highly attractive variegated form that is very popular with growers.