Rhoeo discolor Hance
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Authority
Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
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Family
Commelinaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - A curious, low, herbaceous, somewhat fleshy plant, with a short stem, nearly upright, narrow leaves strikingly purple on the under side, and small, white, clustered flowers almost concealed within broad, flattened, and folded bracts. It grows nearly all over the West Indies, northward to Florida and Bermuda, and has been recorded from Mexico. Extensively planted for ornament and interest, freely propagating vegetatively, and thus often forming large masses, there is difficulty in ascertaining where the species is native and where naturalized; it has been observed in rocky woodlands at low elevations in Porto Rico, where we regard it as indigenous. Rhoeo is a monotypio genus, consisting of this species only. Sangria is another Spanish name, and Lirio is also recorded as used for this plant. Rhoeo discolor (referring to the leaves, green above, purple beneath) has stout, often clustered stems, about 20 centimeters long, or shorter, and few, oblong-lanceolate, pointed leaves from 20 to 35 centimeters long; the plant is wholly smooth, or the sheaths of the leaves bear a few, long hairs. A cluster of several or many flowers is borne on a short stalk from 2 to 4 centimeters long, subtended and nearly hidden by broad, pointed bracts 2 or 3 centimeters high; the individual, white flowers have stalks about 1 centimeter long; there are 3, petal-like sepals, 3 petals from 5 to 8 millimeters long, and 6 stamens with hairy filaments; the 3-celled, stalkless ovary has but 1 ovule in each cell. The fruit is a 3-angled, ovoid, blunt capsule 4 or 5 millimeters long, which splits into 3 valves, releasing the rugose seeds, which are 3 or 4 millimeters long.
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Discussion
Sanguinaria Oyster Plant Spiderwort Family Tradescantia discolor L'Heritier, Sertum Anglicum 8. 1788. Rhoeo discolor Hance; Walpers, Annales Botanices Systematicae 2: 660. 1852.