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Tradescantia sillamontana
Wooly Spiderwort is a fleshy, succulent-like perennial from dry parts of northeastern Mexico, covered in white hairs with purplish-pink flowers in summer. The key to growing it is bright light, sharp drainage and very little water, especially in winter.
Tradescantia sillamontana is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Tradescantia. This species is one of the most succulent and xerophytic species of Tradescantia. It is endemic to dry areas of the State of Nuevo León in northeastern Mexico and can also be found in Spain and Italy.
Tradescantia sillamontana is almost as easy to grow as other species of the genus Tradescantia. However, unlike most species of Tradescantia, this species is almost succulent and nearly xerophytic. T. sillamontana should be grown in a well lit position, although direct summer sun can cause burns, so gradual acclimatization is needed. While it is native to arid areas of Mexico, it does best with roughly 750 mm (30 in) of water per year. It will go dormant in cooler desert winters.
Flowering in summer is quite abundant, if well-cultivated. The plant quickly loses its desirable appearance with excessive watering, too dark a location, and an excess of nitrogen. Spraying the leaves is not recommended at all. Soil should allow good drainage, with at least a third to a half made up of coarse sand and gravel. Moderate watering is required during the growing season; the plant should be kept almost dry in winter maintenance. The minimum temperature during the period of dormancy is 10 °C. The plant can be divided in Spring, with any shoots which are too long being trimmed.
Longbract spiderwort · Small-leaf spiderwort · Texas spiderwort · Prairie spiderwort · Bluejacket · Purple queen · Boatlily · Zigzag spiderwort · Virginia spiderwort · Inchplant · Spiderwort
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tradescantia sillamontana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
