Plants of the UNF Campus
Rhoeo spathacea - Oyster plant
Family Commelinaceae
Description:
This is a small genus of plants sometimes included in the
genus Tradescantia. The oyster plant
is native to Mexico.
It is a small plant with a rosette of leaves. The leaves may be green,
variegated, or purplish. The typical plant makes clumps of rosettes, each about
twelve to sixteen inches across. Small white flowers are produced between two
oblong bracts that vaguely resemble the two shells of an oyster. A dwarf form
with a three to four inch rosette is the most common in cultivation in Florida.
Location:
Plants can be seen in the planters at the entrance to the library.
Size:
Small herbaceous plant with leaves that stand four to twelve inches tall, depending on the cultivar.
Care Instructions:
Light: part shade
Water: drought tolerance once established
Soil: well-drained soil is essential, no other special requirements
Other – handle broken leaves and stems with care, sap
contains calcium oxalate rhapides that can be irritating to tender skin
Oyster plant tolerates a wide range of conditions. It is
somewhat cold tender outdoors in north Florida.
Rhoeo spathacea
Oyster plant
Commelinaceae
This is a small genus of plants sometimes included in the
genus Tradescantia. The oyster plant
is native to Mexico.
It is a small plant with a rosette of leaves. The leaves may be green,
variegated, or purplish. The typical plant makes clumps of rosettes, each about
twelve to sixteen inches across. Small white flowers are produced between two
oblong bracts that vaguely resemble the two shells of an oyster. A dwarf form
with a three to four inch rosette is the most common in cultivation in Florida.
Plants can be seen in the planters at the entrance to the library.
Small herbaceous plant with leaves that stand four to twelve inches tall, depending on the cultivar.
part shade
drought tolerance once established
well-drained soil is essential, no other special requirements
Other – handle broken leaves and stems with care, sap
contains calcium oxalate rhapides that can be irritating to tender skin
Oyster plant tolerates a wide range of conditions. It is
somewhat cold tender outdoors in north Florida.