Charles Quest-Ritson on the amazing longevity of his Purpurea.
I have a house plant that will be 50 years old in April. We used to call it Setcreasea purpurea — in fact we still do — but the RHS tells us that we should use the older name of Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’, which is almost as grim as its common name of purple spiderwort. It has thick, intensely purple leaves, rather like a dense and compact wandering sailor (which is what the botanists say it…
