Tradescantieae Explained

The Tradescantieae are a tribe of plants in the family Commelinaceae erected by Carl Meissner in 1842.^[1] Many genera originate from the Americas, but those in subtribes Coleotrypinae, Cyanotinae, Palisotinae and Streptoliriinae are Asian or African in origin; several species in the typical Tradescantia and other genera have become domesticated ornamental plants and naturalised elsewhere.

Subtribes and genera

The following subtribes remain included, but in their review Zuntini et al. (2021) question their functionality:^[2]

Coleotrypinae

1. Amischotolype
2. Coleotrype
3. Porandra

Cyanotinae

1. Belosynapsis
2. Cyanotis

Dichorisandrinae

1. Cochliostema
2. Dichorisandra
3. Geogenanthus
4. Plowmanianthus
5. Siderasis

Palisotinae

1. Palisota

Streptoliriinae

1. Aetheolirion
2. Spatholirion
3. Streptolirion

Thyrsantheminae

1. Gibasoides
2. Matudanthus
3. Thyrsanthemum
4. Tinantia
5. Weldenia

Tradescantiinae

1. Callisia
2. Elasis
3. Gibasis
4. Tradescantia
5. Tripogandra

Notes and References

1. Meissner (1842) Plantarum vascularium genera secundum ordines naturales digesta eorumque differentiae et affinitates tabulis diagnosticis expositae. Weidmann, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. 406.
2. Zuntini AR, Frankel LP, Pokorny, Forest F, Baker WJ (2021) A comprehensive phylogenomic study of the monocot order Commelinales, with a new classification of Commelinaceae. American Journal of Botany 108(7): 1066–1086. [DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1698]