Identification: vining houseplant

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by Toto, Nov 9, 2009.

  1. Toto

    Toto Member

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    Location:
    Newport, MI USA
    I inherited this plant about 3 years ago, it was close to dying at that time. I have nursed it back to some health, and repotted it last year. I have clipped the vines back once. You may notice the burned looking leaves - those are the reason I'm inquiring as to the identity of this plant. I don't know if it needs something, or has too much of something . . . you get my gist. It's been kept in a northern exposure window all it's life. HELP!!
     

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  2. Harry Homeowner

    Harry Homeowner Active Member

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    Possibly Tradescantia fluminensis.
     
  3. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i agree it's tradescantia - not sure about particular species though. tradescantia is aka wandering jew
     
  4. Toto

    Toto Member

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    wow! You guys are amazing - that is exactly what it is. I had previously owned a wandering jew, but it was another variety. It never crossed my mind that this was the same plant. Thank you very much!!
     
  5. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    there are quite a few 'wandering jews'!!! some are viney in growth and others are not. some have small leaves and others large. some are plain green; some have purple leaves; some a combo of both and some are variegated.
     
  6. Toto

    Toto Member

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    yes! Once you had identified it as a Wandering Jew, I did some research, and found the variegated variety, too. I had one of those before. This one is just plain green leaves, but after reading up on it, I wonder if that's it's nature, or if it's supposed to get more light.
     
  7. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    if it's always been in that spot, then i doubt the discoloration is burn - unless a tree was cut down recently and it's actually getting more light than it was previously.

    more likely it's due to the roots of those particular vines not getting enough water. when was the last time you repotted it?
     
  8. Toto

    Toto Member

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    I think it was about a year ago that I repotted it. I don't remember what time of year, but it does flower, so I figured it was healthy. Something I read online suggested that the brown leaves might be due to dry air, so I've started misting it.
     
  9. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    yes, dry air can cause that. is there a heater vent close by?? is so, try to re-direct the air flow so it's not blowing onto the plant.

    and, of course, mist it, too. that's almost always a good thing to do - even some succulents and cacti benefit from misting (which you'd think they wouldn't...which is true for some).
     
  10. SummerBug

    SummerBug Member

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    Cute African Violet!
     
  11. Toto

    Toto Member

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    thank you! It's kind of like the wandering jew . . . when I repot it into a bigger container, it also gets bigger!!
     
  12. SummerBug

    SummerBug Member

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    Yeah I have a few myself they're great. I am also a fan of the wandering jew mines green and purple I also have a variegated one.
     

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