Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina): Plant Care and Growing Guide – House Plants Expert

The Wandering Jew plant is the common name given to a number of plants from the Tradescantia genus, including the scientific name Tradescantia Fluminensis, Tradescantia Pallida, and the most popular one – Tradescanita Zabrina.

The common name of “The Wandering Jew” is believed to come from a legend that the wandering jew ‘taunted Jesus’ en route to being crucified and was cursed to walk the Earth until the second coming. This can be viewed as antisemitic to some so be sensitive to that. We love our plants and certainly do not mean to offend when using their common name. Many have started now to use the common name wandering dudes or dude plant.

Some countries classify this species as an invasive plant or even a weed. This is because of its growth habit (it grows fast and prevents the growth of other plants). However, grown indoors it makes an attractive hanging basket or windowsill plant.

The purple wandering jew or purple heart is one of my favorite plants. The foliage is fleshy, has violet leaf colors, easy to care for, has simple propagation, and is just an overall nice houseplant to have in your collection.

Description

There are a number of tradescantia plants very similar in looks, how they’re grown and their growth habit, including the T. zebrina (which has dark green leaves with silver bands), the Tradescantia Fluminensis variegata with cream stripes, and quicksilver which has white stripes. Then there’s the T. Pallida from the same genus which is sometimes named Wandering Jew plant but looks very different from the Tradescantia Fluminensis and Zebrina.

Foliage 

Fleshy oval or lance-shaped leaves are produced from the pendant stems (growing a couple of feet or so long). These small leaves have a shiny appearance and grow to about 2 – 4 inches long with pointed tips. The underside of a leaf is purple in color on the zebrina and new leaves appear purple at first, then turn green. In the wild or grown in gardens (grown as a bedding plant) stems take root at the nodes, but indoors in a hanging basket or container they grow and hang over the sides.

Flowering 

The small non-showy flowers are white in color, appearing during summer usually and at other times (depending on the conditions). These flowers appear in clusters and display three small petals.

Plant Care and Growing 

Wandering jew plants are pretty simple to care for and maintain, although providing plenty of bright light is important. Tradescantia naturally becomes spindly and needs to be pruned regularly and pinching stems will encourage fuller growth, improving its appearance.

Facts

Plant Care

Potential Problems

• Spindly growth and bare stems: This happens naturally with age for this plant but lack of light, water, or plant food can also cause spindly growth. If the plant is old and conditions are fine (water, light, etc.) then it could be time to replace it.
• All green leaves: Variegated leaves turning green and losing their variegation is most likely due to too much light.
• Limp stems: Limp stems are usually a sign that the plant is lacking water

Elyssa Goins

Elyssa Goins is an experienced house plant hobbyist who maintains over a hundred plants. She is a gardener, beekeeper, and a proud mother of four.  She is a member of the American Horticultural Society, has a published study in the National Social Science Association, and loves to talk about her love of plants.  For the past twenty years, she’s been all about growing and caring for various fruits, veggies, herbs, livestock, kids, and houseplants. Managing a big garden to feed four growing kids and raising dairy goats has taught her so much about being an excellent plant parent and now is her time to share with you.