Silver striped wandering Jew
Tradescantia zebrina, Fam. Commelinaceae
Weak perennial herbs with trailing to semi-erect, easily broken fleshy stems; readily rooting at the nodes and forming large dense ground covers.
| Weed Category: |
Other invasive plants Invasive plants that are not prohibited or restricted invasive plants, but are known to spread readily and cause negative impacts, within the region.
|
| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Herb |
| Family: | Commelinaceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Alternate Simple, alternate ovate-elliptic with hairy tubular stem-sheathing bases. Green or purple-green above with 2 distinctive silvery stripes running longitudinally along the leaf, dark purple below, 20-50mm long. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Pink |
| Flower description: | Bright pink, three petalled, borne in groups, more-or-less partially enclosed by 2 or 3 leaf-like bracts. 10-12mm in diameter. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Unknown |
| Fruit colour: | |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Capsules, but not produced in Australia. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | Irritant sap |
| Origin: | South America, Mexico and Central America |
| Notes: | Spread by: vegetative fragments in garden waste, water, contaminated soil. All plant material able to grow. Invades/threats: open forests, disturbed creek bank communities, rainforest understorey, moist shady gullies, roadsides and unmanaged land. Notes: garden escapees that can dominate the ground layer over extensive areas. Two species are naturalised in the region. Watery sap can cause skin irritation in people and pets. Environmental weed. |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
