Tradescantia zebrina

Zebra grass in the terrarium – a play of colors in purple and silver

The Tradescantia zebrinaalso known as zebra grass, is a tropical beauty that attracts everyone’s attention with its intense purple and silvery-green striped leaves. It originates from the warm and humid regions of Central and South America, where it covers the ground as a creeping plant and adds colorful accents to the vegetation with its dense growth. This characteristic makes it an ideal ground cover for tropical terrariums and paludariums.

In cultivation, the Tradescantia zebrina a high humidity of 70-90 %as is common in rainforest terrariums. Its delicate, succulent leaves are sensitive to dryness, so regular moisturizing is important. For healthy growth, the plant needs bright, indirect light; too little light causes its colors to fade, while too much direct sun can burn its leaves. It thrives optimally with an illuminance of about 1,200-2,000 lumens per square meter.

With a growth height of 10 to 20 cm the zebra plant remains compact, but spreads quickly due to its creeping shoots. This not only provides a lively substrate for your terrarium, but also hiding and climbing places for small terrarium animals such as geckos, frogs or insects. Their care is uncomplicated: A slightly moist substrate and occasional pruning are enough to keep the plant bushy and healthy.

The Tradescantia zebrina brings not only tropical flair but also dynamism to your terrarium – a lively play of colors that perfectly complements the green backdrop.