Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia spiderwort)

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Tradescantia virginiana L.

Virginia spiderwort

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Commelinidae	Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others
Order	Commelinales	Includes dayflowers (spiderworts), bloodworts, water hyacinths, others
Family	Commelinaceae	Dayflower or spiderwort family
Genus	Tradescantia	After John Tradescant (1608-1662), English gardener to King Charles I
Species	virginiana	From or referring to Virginia

About plant names...

Spiderworts are named for the resemblance of their leaves to a squatting spider. The genus Tradescantia is named for John Tradescant, a gardener for Charles I of England. There are about 71 species.

Identification: Virginia spiderworts are 8-36″ (20-91 cm) high. Leaves are long and narrow, dark or olive green, with parallel veins, like wide grass blades. They are up to 1′ (30 cm) × 1″ (2.5 cm). Flowers are blue or purple, ¾-2″ (1.9-5 cm) in diameter, with three petals and six stamens, each with yellow anthers. There are two bracts beneath each flower. Each flower lasts only a single day.

Here are a few species:

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

	*Tradescantia occidentalis*	*Tradescantia pinetorum*	You are here Tradescantia virginiana
Common Name	western spiderwort	pine spiderwort	Virginia spiderwort
Plant	Up to 2′ (60 cm) tall. Has smooth stems with several joints	8-20″ (20-50 cm) high	8-36″ (20-91 cm) high
Flowers	Bright blue to rose or purple, about ¾″ (1.9 cm) in diameter, with three petals and six stamens with yellow anthers.	Blue to purple flowers about ¾″ (1.9 cm) in diameter, with six stamens with yellow anthers. Small hairs are on various parts of the flower. All petals are equal in size.	Blue or purple, ¾-2″ (1.9-5 cm) in diameter, with three petals and six stamens, each with yellow anthers. There are two bracts beneath each flower
Leaves	Long and narrow, with a whitish covering	2-5″ (5-12 cm) long, sometimes much longer, and narrow, like blades of grass	Long and narrow, dark or olive green, with parallel veins, like wide grass blades. Up to 1′ (30 cm) × 1″ (2.5 cm)
Range/ Zones			USDA Zones: 4-9
Habitats	Plains, prairies, disturbed sites	Open brush, woods and wooded slopes, especially pine woods	Prairies, thickets, woodland edges, power line clearences
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Common	Common

Edibility: Leaves and stems are edible, either fresh or cooked.

Online References:

Missouriplants.com

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Illinois Wildflowers

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

The USDA Plants Database (PDF)

EFloras

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 120

6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

7/1/2023 · Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield, Virginia

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.6 cm)

7/3/2023 · Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Ephemerum congestum Moench

Tradescantia brevicaulis Raf.

Tradescantia congesta (Moench) D. Don

Tradescantia rupestris Raf.

Tradescantia speciosa Salisb.

Tradescantia virginiana L. var. alba Hook. ex Raf.

Tradescantia virginiana L. var. barbata Raf.

Tradescantia virginiana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 26 Jul 2023.

6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½′ (118 × 78 cm) ID is uncertain

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain

7/3/2023 · Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Range: Zones 4-9:

About this map...