Help us maintain this website and keep it free and open for our community of scientists, students, and conservation managers, who depend on it to obtain the most up to date information. Help us save species and restore native ecosystems!

Close

Please scroll to the bottom for more images.
Tradescantia spathacea Sw.
Oysterplant, Moses-in-the-cradle, Boatlily

Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley

Family: Commelinaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Mexico and Guatemala; cultivated and now a widespread weed.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

FLEPPC Status: Category I Invasive

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Other data on Tradescantia spathacea available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Tradescantia spathacea has been found in the following 108 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Alice C. Wainwright Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Atlantic Dunes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bahia Honda State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Creek Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blazing Star Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 31 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coral Pines Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Curry Hammock State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach Municipal Beach Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach, Lake Ida parcel Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dupuis Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida City Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
George N. Avery Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Girl Scouts South Miami Little House Present Not Native, Naturalized
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Greynolds Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gulfstream Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Harden Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Homestead Bayfront Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ingram Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Kunkel Small Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake San Pedro Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Cultivated Only
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ludlam Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Medlock Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Military Trail Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Miramar Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Phipps Ocean Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Jog Environmental Sciences Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rockdale Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rocky Point Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rolling Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sewell Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Groves Present Not Native, Naturalized
Simpson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Beach Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tamarind Private Dune Present Not Native, Naturalized
The Barnacle State Historic Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trail Glades Range Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Tops Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trinity Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Not Native, Naturalized
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Present Not Native, Naturalized
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Biscayne Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Reported
Woodmont Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized

Tradescantia spathacea has been found in the following 6 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Not Native, Naturalized
Lee County Not Native, Naturalized
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Keys) Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Mainland) Not Native, Naturalized

Tradescantia spathacea has been found in the following 3 habitats :
Disturbed Upland
Pine Rockland
Rockland Hammock

All Images:

Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Miramar Pineland Natural Area,
Broward County, Florida
Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: George Gann, 2017
In habitat, Lake Ida Parcel, Delray Beach, Florida
Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: Michelle M. Smith, 2018
Naturalized at Florida City Pineland, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Tradescantia spathacea
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer