Oyster Plant

Looking for a vibrant tropical plant with minimal care requirements? You’re in luck! The colorful and striking Oyster Plant is surprisingly easy to care for. This plant thrives in most homes if you provide it with the right amount of water, light, and humidity.

The Oyster Plant is low-maintenance and provides a lot of benefits. Feel inspired, rejuvenated, and creative when you place this plant in your home.

What is an Oyster Plant?

The Oyster Plant (Tradescantia spathacea ) has a few nicknames that play on its unique appearance. Its nicknames include its most popular name, Oyster Plant, Moses-In-The-Cradle, and Boat Lily due to its boat-shaped, purple leaves. You can find this bright and vibrant tropical evergreen in warm, humid regions beneath the shade of taller plants. These plants are native to Central America.

The Oyster Plant is very hardy and has started popping up in other countries as well. It’s now naturalized in China, Japan, the Philippines, and the southern United States (such as Florida).

This beauty has become quite popular in indoor gardens across the world thanks to its stunning appearance and low maintenance. It has a very tropical look, with bright purple and green foliage and white flowers. But it doesn’t take a lot of extra care to thrive.

Plant Size

The Oyster Plant gets about 18 inches tall at most. The leaves grow directly from the plant’s base, meaning it doesn’t have any tall stems or branches. It’s compact and easy to manage.

Light Requirements

The Oyster Plant prefers indirect, bright light. Place this beauty in a north or east-facing window to avoid your plant getting too much direct sunlight. They can tolerate lower light conditions but will become a bit duller in color.

Soil Requirements

The best potting soil for an Oyster plant is rich and well-draining. If you’d prefer to make your own soil, we’d recommend an equal-part blend of potting mix, compost, and perlite.

Watering Requirements

The Oyster Plant is known to be pretty “drought-resistant” but still requires a water routine, although it’s a lax one. During the growing months, water your plant twice a week. This will keep the soil lightly moist but not too wet. During the winter months, when your plant isn’t growing, reduce watering to about once a week.

Temperature Requirements

The Oyster Plant can thrive in most normal home temperatures, between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But this tropical plant does love its humidity. Place a tray of pebbles beneath the Oyster Plant’s container. A drainage tray such as this catches runoff after watering. The water will eventually evaporate, creating a humid micro-climate for your plant.

Why Are Oyster Plants Great House Plants?

The Oyster Plant is stunning — that’s the first thing you’ll notice. It has a strikingly spiky and colorful appearance that adds an instant tropical vibe to any room you place it in. These stunning house plants will boost your decor immediately, adding a touch of color that will bring life to any room, no matter the style.

But the Oyster Plant doesn’t just brighten up decor. It also has a lot of health benefits. Studies have proven that having plants around will boost your creativity and focus. You’ll feel a new sense of inspiration when you place this plant on your desk or in your office space. This is a great way to feel energized and happy while working.

The Oyster Plant can also help purify the air. This is a great health benefit people experience from having plants hanging around their homes. According to NASA, plants remove harmful chemicals from the air, making your home a safer environment. Clean air will have you waking up feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. Some plants do this more efficiently than others, but all plants will improve your home’s air quality!

Oyster Plant Lineage

The Oyster Plant is a member of the Commelinaceae plant family. Their common name is easier to say but not very pleasant: Spiderworts. This is a group of tropical and subtropical herbs.

• Baby Bunny Bellies: This is an easy-to-care-for plant that has fuzzy foliage! Its furry little leaves are what earned Baby Bunny Bellies its charming name. It is a climbing or trailing plant that needs bright, indirect light and minimal watering.
• Purple Queen: This plant is often used as ground-covering in outdoor gardens. It has velvety, purple leaves and light, lavender flowers. The Purple Queen is a striking addition to any landscape.
• Bluejacket: Also known as the Ohio Spiderwort, this plant features long, green leaves and clusters of blue, three-petaled flowers. They have minimal care requirements, making them an easy addition to most gardens.

Final Thoughts – Oyster Plant

The Oyster Plant is the perfect addition to most homes, thanks to its vibrant appearance. It will boost the look of any room thanks to its exciting boat-shaped leaves, purple foliage, and white flowers. This tropical plant will brighten up any room it’s in and make any space feel wild, exotic, and fun.

But despite its tropical appearance, this plant is very easy to care for. All it needs is watering twice a week (once in the winter), humidity, and indirect sunlight. Many people even simply place the Oyster Plant in their bathroom to create a naturally humid environment with very little effort.