Boat Lily (tradescantia spathacea)
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is home to many animals, and we also cultivate plants from those animals’ habitats. You may see some of these plants in the animals” habitats or you can see them in our Victorian Greenhouse. Many of the plants are endangered, just like the animals.
DESCRIPTION: Boat Lilies, sometimes referred to as Moses-in-a-basket, are a type of herbaceous perennial and are seasonal bloomers. These plants typically grow as a 6-12" tall rosette consisting of narrow, spirally arranged, dark green leaves with purple undersides. Boat lilies will spread to form a dense ground cover over time. White flowers in axillary cymes are enclosed by boat-shaped, purple bracts, which is why they have been called Moses-in-a-basket. RANGE: They are native to Southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. STATUS: Not extinct |