Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Nanouk’

I’m a bit of a tough sell when it comes to new varieties in horticulture. I’ve been in this business for almost 40 years now. I’ve seen countless new varieties of Heuchera, Petunias, Echinacea, and, well, the list could go on and on. I often find myself mimicking Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler from their SNL days when I look at a new plant introduction and say “really?” So, I’m a harsh critic. That’s OK, right? That being said, I’m really excited about a Tradescantia introduction from Dümmen called ‘Nanouk.’

Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Nanouk’ was bred by Wander Durk Tuinier of The Netherlands. It is part of a breeding program to produce new, compact varieties of Tradescantia that have outstanding leaf color, attractive flowers and vigor. Nanouk is the progeny of two unnamed seedlings selections of Tradescantia fluminensis, both unpatented. A patent was issued for Nanouk in the fall of 2018. Like other Tradescantias, Nanouk is easily propagated vegetatively, and URCs are available through Dümmen.

There is a bit of scientific naming confusion surrounding this plant. I know it comes as a huge shock to you that there could be ANY confusion about taxonomy in horticulture, right? Tradescantia fluminensis was first described by Jose Vellozo in 1825. He published a description of a creeping plant accompanied by a drawing based on plants observed near Rio de Janeiro. Eighteen years later in 1843, Karl Kunth described a “new” species of plant with creeping stems, hairless leaves and white flowers. Its native origins were unknown, because the plant he described was in the royal botanic garden of Berlin. Really? Come on, Karl! I see plants all the time that I don’t have a clue what they are. That doesn’t give me naming rights! Anyway, he did call the plant Tradescantia albiflora. Over time, it became clear that both names were referring to a single species, and since Jose named it first, it’s Tradescantia fluminensis that’s correct.

Regardless of the name, this is a beautiful plant! We have one in our south facing window in Des Moines, Washington. It loves the bright light which seems to help it express its color, and it stays very compact, true to form. It’s extremely easy to care for. I highly recommend it for personal collections and as a valuable plant for commercial horticulture. Really!