The Tradescantia or Spiderwort is a herbaceous, perennial, and evergreen plant with a creeping growth habit. Hardy and resilient, it is an excellent choice for the decoration of both indoor and outdoor spaces, thanks to its sprawling or trailing shape, as well as its almost continuous pink-purple flowering.

The dominant ornamental feature of the Tradescantia is its multicolored leaves, which initially have a purple-burgundy color and later turn green, while on either side of the leaf axis, silver-white stripes appear. These stripes create the visual "effect" of a zebra, which is also the characteristic feature of the plant.