Inchplant
Tradescantia zebrina
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa & more
How to identify Inchplant
Identify Inchplant by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Silver-and-purple striped leaves (inch plant).
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple/pink.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Commelinaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Inchplant.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Tradescantia zebrina
- Genus
- Tradescantia
- Family
- Commelinaceae
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The stalked, parallel-veined leaves are mostly ovate, 4 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide, pointed towards the tip, rounded to the base.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The leaf sheaths are thin and translucent, 8 to 12 mm long and 5 to 8 mm wide, at the mouth they are long, otherwise glabrous or slightly hairy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Inchplant itself; the rest are typical of the Commelinaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Purple/pinkrecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“They form capsule fruits that contain gray-brown seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Inchplant itself; the rest are typical of the Commelinaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Inchplant
Inchplant (Tradescantia zebrina) belongs to the Commelinaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa and 18 other states.
Uses
In practice it is planted as an ornamental.
Commelinaceae
Spiderwort Family
Inchplant belongs to the Commelinaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Commelinaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Inchplant or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides