Exotic plant

[Katherine J]

What is this, please?

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Kata,
I think this is a Tradescantia  but I'm not sure which species would have these grey furry leaves...
Maybe Tradescantia sillamontana ?

[Carlo]

It is indeed Tradescantia sillamontana (which died back to the ground in a pot here but survived the winter in the bulb cellar). It's most often grown as an interior plant in high light.

[Katherine J]

Thanks, Maggi and Carlo.
It also died back on the balcony of my sister-in-law in Frosinone, Italy (near Roma). I should tell her not to leave it outside for the winter any more. I see it is native to Mexico.

[Carlo]

As long as it hasn't frozen TO DEATH, it will recover from being frozen back to the ground. When I bring them in in the fall, I typically snap the branches off (very easy to root) to the ground and throw them under a bench. They begin growing almost immediately and get broken back again before they are put out when the weather warms in mid spring.