Tradescantia spathacea

AKA boat lily, oyster plant, Moses in the cradle....

I found this picture of a Tradescantia spathacea stomata in an article from the National Science Foundation and I’m kind of mesmerized by it. Stomata are basically how plants breathe, you know the whole CO2 in, O2 out business. Scientists have discovered the mechanism by which plants control their stomata and regulate CO2 intake. I found this GIF a fascinating, but also somehow unsettling view of the plant we’ll be discussing today.

Tradescantia spathacea is native to Guatemala, Belize, and Southern Mexico and is decidedly more cool than unsettling. While it is mildly toxic and can cause mouth and stomach discomfort if eaten, scientists have discovered a few potential uses for the plant in modern medicine. According to iNaturalist says scientists have isolated compounds in the leaves that could lower insulin resistance and help fight type 2 diabetes. St. Thomas University in Miami has isolated antioxidants that could help fight cancer.

According to this blog, hairs in the stamen cells are blue, but mutate and change pink when exposed to radiation, “making them one of the few known tissues that can effectively show ambient radiation levels.”

But it’s not all good (it never is). If you’ve ever grown this plant you know how stupid easy it is to grow. It never seems to stop, just creeping and trailing and growing even if you neglect it. Most of it dies? Not to worry, just break off a healthy bit, stick it in dirt and you’ll have roots in a few days. With my own Tradescantia spathacea whenever it gets too long and leggy, I cut all the stems off, toss any bits with no leaves, and stick the rest back into the pot. And it’s fine. The severed stems grow with no problem.

So why is that bad? It isn’t, for a house plant. But in the wild T. spathacea spreads so easily that it forms dense mats that choke out native plants. It is considered a noxious invasive in most places where it has been introduced.

One more thing, apparently, if you are in absolutely dire need of coloring in your cheeks, I don’t know perhaps you are a wretched ghost wanting to be seen. In that pale and ghastly state, you can rub the leaves on your face and the skin irritation will give you a rosy glow. As I am not a licensed… anything, I cannot recommend this practice for the corporeal. But if any of my deceased readers want to give it a try, do let us know how it goes.