Turtle Vine (Callisia repens)

Also known as little jewel, tiny buttons, chain plant, creeping basket plant, inch plant, itsy bitsy inch plant, creeping inch plant, creeping inchplant, creeping inch-plant, Bolivian Jew, Bolivian wandering Jew, dwarf wandering Jew, honeycomb, turtle vine, Tradescantia 'Tortuga', and these scientific binomial synonyms: Hapalanthus repens (basionym), Commelina hexandra, Spironema robbinsii, Tradescantia minima, Tradescantia callisia.

The following plant information was last updated on 9/26/2021. 

Plant Type: evergreen perennial herbaceous succulent creeping plant

Plant Family: roselings of the Spiderworts family (Commelinaceae)

Visual Identification: gray-green foliage with purple spotting and brittle, pink stems. The 1-inch leaves have a purple underside. Its small, alternating leaves are densely packed, shrinking in size the further out from the plant’s core they get. The hermaphrodite flower clusters are odorless and tend to appear in pairs. The flowers have three white petals and up to six stamens with smooth filaments. Tiny oblong seed capsules containing four rough brown seeds emerge after fertilization.

Native Region(s): Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies

Landscape Use: foliage, groundcover, in planters as a "spiller", hanging baskets and window boxes, fairy gardens

Height: 4-12 inches

Spread: 4+ feet

Spacing: 24-36 inches

Hardiness Zones: 10-11 is the consensus, though some sources claim 8a-11b.

Hardy Down To: 20-25° F

Light: full sun to part shade. Access to bright light helps keep the plant healthy and reduce the risk of it becoming straggly.

Water: benefits from regular watering to ensure the soil remains moist during the growing season. Avoid overwatering. Allow the surface of the soil to dry out between waterings in winter.

Soil: When used as potted plants or in a hanging basket, turtle vine does best in a standard potting mix or a peat mix. A similarly, organic-rich soil works well when planting in a garden. pH preference of 6.3 - 6.8.

Maintenance: pinching the stem tips will help the turtle vine stay compact. Cutting the plants back once flowering has ceased can promote a second bloom, and help prevent re-seeding.

Fertilize: During summer, a bit of liquid fertilizer every 10 to 14 days will encourage dense foliage.

Seasons of Interest: Flowers appear in late spring through early fall. In late autumn, the leaves become deep purple as watering slows down or ceases.

Toxicity: reported to be an irritant to the skin of humans and pets (we at Solacious Seeds have not experienced this). Additionally, this plant is known to contain calcium oxalate crystals, which may pose a problem when ingested by most pets.

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