Commelinaceae
Boat-lily
Tradescantia spathacea
- Family
- Commelinaceae
- Genus
- Tradescantia
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (19)
- Arabic
- رويو
- Burmese
- မီးကွင်းဂမုန်း
- Chinese
- 紫背万年青, 紫背萬年青, 紫万年青, 紫背鴨跖草, 蚌兰叶, 蚌兰花, 蚌花, 蚌蘭
- English
- Boat-lily, Boatlily, Oyster-plant, Moses-in-the-cradle
- German
- Purpurblättrige Dreimasterblume
- Haitian Creole
- Bouldimas
- Indonesian
- Nanas Kerang, Tanaman Adam Eva
- Japanese
- ムラサキオモト
- Javanese
- Nanas kerang
- Kazakh
- Рео
- Korean
- 자주달개비
- Malay
- Pokok Kerang Nenas
- pam
- Aksibal a mabie
- Persian
- موسیدرگهواره
- Polish
- Reo meksykańskie
- Russian
- Традесканция разноцветная, Роео разноцветная
- Swedish
- Blomstervagga
- Thai
- ว่านกาบหอย
- Tongan
- Fainā kula
Synonyms
- Ephemerum bicolor Moench
- Ephemerum discolor Moench
- Rhoeo discolor (L'Hér.) Hance
- Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Stearn
- Rhoeo spathacea f. concolor (Baker) Stehlé
- Rhoeo spathacea f. spathacea (Sw.) Stearn
- Rhoeo spathacea f. variegata (Hook.) Stehlé
- Tradescantia discolor L'Hér.
- Tradescantia discolor var. concolor Baker
- Tradescantia discolor var. discolor L'Hér.
- Tradescantia discolor var. lineata Miq. ex Verschaff.
- Tradescantia discolor var. variegata Hook.
- Tradescantia discolor var. vittata Laurentius ex Regel
- Tradescantia versicolor Salisb.
Flowers
- In flower
- September to May (from 109 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: fmunoz, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Gabriel, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Kelin Guerra, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Norman Salazar Arguedas, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Tereka Lasso, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Alexis López Hernández, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Isaac Chacón, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Sebastián de Jesús Herrera Buenfil, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Lucian Vazquez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
More in Tradescantia
- Inch plantTradescantia zebrinaCommelinaceae
- Small-leaf spiderwortTradescantia fluminensisCommelinaceae
- Purple queenTradescantia pallidaCommelinaceae
- Virginia spiderwortTradescantia virginianaCommelinaceae
- Tradescantia sillamontanaCommelinaceae
- BluejacketTradescantia ohiensisCommelinaceae
- Cohitre blancoTradescantia zanoniaCommelinaceae
- Longbract spiderwortTradescantia bracteataCommelinaceae
- Prairie spiderwortTradescantia occidentalisCommelinaceae
- Dwarf spiderwortTradescantia longipesCommelinaceae
- Zigzag spiderwortTradescantia subasperaCommelinaceae
- Tradescantia cerinthoidesCommelinaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.