Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Moses-in-the-cradle

Tradescantia spathacea

Spanish: Maguey

Moses-in-the-cradle (Tradescantia spathacea)
Photographed by victorfkur on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Tradescantia spathacea, the boatlily or Moses-in-the-Cradle, is a herb in the Commelinaceae first described in 1788. It is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula) but widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in parts of Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and various oceanic islands. Most often recorded in Nov, Oct, Jan, Jul.

TaxonomyLiliopsida › Commelinales › Commelinaceae
Local records6 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records18,473 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2021 – 2025
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Moses-in-the-cradle (Tradescantia spathacea) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/tradescantia-spathacea/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.