''Siderasis'' is a genus of

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks ...

ous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the dayflower family, first described in 1837. It consists of a single known species, ''Siderasis fuscata'',

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the State of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

in southeastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, though it is also naturalized on the Island of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Common English names of Siderasis fuscata are "bears ears" for their leaves being covered in many tiny "hairs" and their broad oval shape and "brown spiderwort" because the color mix of its foliage sometimes is perceived as "chocolate-colored". The upper sides of the leaves are green with silvery and reddish hues and a lighter stripe down the middle; their undersides are reddish purple. Its flowers have three blueish purple petals; for their similarity to ''

Tradescantia ''Tradescantia'' () is a genus of 85 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae, native to the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies. Members of the genus are known by many com ...

''flowers, ''Siderasis'' had formerly been included in Tradescantiae. In warmer climates, ''Siderasis'' can be planted in parks and gardens; in temperate regions it is kept by botanical gardens in glass houses and used as houseplants.Exotic Angel Plants, Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses, Apopka Florida USA
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References

* * Commelinaceae Commelinaceae genera Monotypic Commelinales genera Endemic flora of Brazil Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque {{commelinales-stub