Editing Tradescantia (section)

==Etymology==
The scientific name of the genus chosen by [[Carl Linnaeus]] honours the English naturalists and explorers [[John Tradescant the Elder]] (c. 1570s – 1638) and [[John Tradescant the Younger]] (1608–1662),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIOvJSJs-IkC |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology |volume=IV R-Z |year=2000 |publisher=Taylor & Francis US |isbn=978-0-8493-2678-3 |page=2697}}</ref>{{sfn|Hawke|2010}} who introduced many new plants to English gardens. Tradescant the Younger visited the new colony of [[Virginia]] in 1637 (and possibly twice more in later years).<ref name="Cáceres">{{Cite web |last=Lorenzo-Cáceres |first=José Manuel Sánchez de |date=2004 |title=Las especies del género Tradescantia cultivadas en España |url=http://www.arbolesornamentales.es/Tradescantia.htm |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=Arboles ornamentales |language=es}}</ref><ref name="Potter">{{cite book | title=Strange Blooms: The Curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants | publisher=Atlantic Books | author=Potter, Jennifer | year=2006 | location=London | isbn=9781843543350}}</ref> From there, the [[type species]], ''[[Tradescantia virginiana]]'', was brought to England in 1629.

Plants of the genus are called by many [[common name]]s, varying by region and country. The name "inchplant" is thought to describe the plant's fast growth,<ref>{{cite web |title=Inch Plants |url=https://www.almanac.com/plant/wandering-jew |website=Almanac |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref> or the fact that leaves are an [[inch]] apart on the stem.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tradescantia zebrina |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tradescantia-zebrina/ |website=North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref> "Spiderwort" refers to the sap which dries into web-like threads when a stem is cut. <ref>{{cite web |last=Holland |first=Jonah |date=2014-06-06 |title=Spiderwort: Why's It Called That Anyway? |url=https://www.lewisginter.org/spiderwort-whys-it-called-that-anyway/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |publisher=[[Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden]]}}</ref> The name "dayflower", shared with other members of the [[Commelinaceae]] family, refers to the flowers which open and close within a single day.

The controversial name "wandering Jew" originates from the [[Christian]] myth of the [[Wandering Jew]], condemned to wander the earth for taunting [[Jesus]] on the way to his [[crucifixion]].<ref name="Anderson">Anderson, George K. ''The Legend of the Wandering Jew.'' Providence: Brown University Press, 1965. xi, 489 p.; {{ISBN|0-87451-547-5}}</ref> In recent years there have been efforts to stop using this and other potentially offensive common names,<ref name="racism">{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=MJ |date=2020-08-09 |title=Racism in Taxonomy: What's in a Name? |url=https://www.hoytarboretum.org/racism-in-taxonomy-whats-in-a-name/ |access-date=2021-04-19 |publisher=[[Hoyt Arboretum]] |language=en-US}}</ref> in favour of alternatives such as "wandering dude" or "wandering willie".<ref name="bloombox">{{Cite web|date=2019-06-26|title=Why We're No Longer Using the Name Wandering Jew|url=https://bloomboxclub.com/blogs/news/why-were-no-longer-using-the-name-wandering-jew|access-date=2021-08-05|website=Bloombox Club}}</ref><ref name="brittany">{{Cite web|last=Goldwyn|first=Brittany|date=2019-07-23|title=How to Care for a Wandering Tradescantia Zebrina Plant|url=https://www.bybrittanygoldwyn.com/how-to-care-for-a-wandering-jew-plant/|access-date=2021-08-05|website=by Brittany Goldwyn|language=en-US}}</ref>

In Spanish, ''Tradescantia'' plants are sometimes referred to as ''flor de Santa Lucía'' ([[Saint Lucy]]'s flower), in reference to the Saint's reputation as the patron saint of sight, and the use of the juice of the plant as eye drops to relieve congestion.<ref name="Bugatti">{{Cite web |last=Bugatti Para |first=Cristina L. de |date=2008-05-17 |title=Esos yuyos con aire lujoso |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/propiedades/esos-yuyos-con-aire-lujoso-nid1012713/ |access-date=2022-10-31 |publisher=[[La Nación]] |language=es}}</ref>