Inch plant
Tradescantia zebrina
Also called Wandering dude and Silver inch plant
Houseplant · Patterned foliageGoes leggy fast. Cut it hard, push the cuttings back into the same pot, and it thickens.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 6 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Mexico
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
No animal-poison authority lists this plant. Flagged unsafe on a people-toxicity source, which is the cautious reading rather than a checked one.
PeopleIrritates skin
HandlingTake care handling it
RHS lists it as a skin allergen and advises gloves; the sap can raise a rash on repeated handling.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Long naked stem between the pot and the first leaves, with all the colour out at the ends — too little light, and the only cure is cutting it back hard.Bare middle · disorder
- The silver bands go dull and the leaves feel papery, with webbing strung between the trailing stems.Glasshouse red spider mite · pest