Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Commelinales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Tradescantia subaspera
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Tradescantia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Two questionable varieties are sometimes recognized. Var. subaspera may be distinguished by the stem conspicuously zigzag above, except on depauperate or juvenile plants (vs. the stems straight or only slightly zigzag), uppermost lateral cymes sessile or short-pedunculate (vs. pedunculate throughout), uppermost internodes very reduced, crowding the upper leaves (vs. internodes less reduced), leaves much broader than the sheath (vs. only slightly broader), and its generally greater size than var. montana., per Weakley's Flora (2022)
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tradescantia subaspera var. montana
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22 (2000)
Tradescantia subaspera
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tradescantia subaspera var. montana
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-002:
Tradescantia subaspera FAMILY Commelinaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia pilosa
INCLUDING -
Tradescantia montana
COMMON NAME:
Zigzag Spiderwort, Wide-leaved Spiderwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trmo13_001_lvd
var. montana
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trpi8_001_lvd
var. subaspera
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4145
April Greenville County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4146
April Greenville County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm140519_883
May Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
Var. montana - its size is generally less than that of var. subaspera, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm140519_894
May Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
Var. montana - its stems are straight or only slightly zigzag, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm230509_3092
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230509_3098
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Sepals 7-10mm long, pubescent at least apically, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm230509_3117
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm0506d_08
June Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Leaves 15-35cm long, 0.6-4.5cm wide. Plant glabrous or pubescent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm150607_290b
June McDowell County? NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8892
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Var. subaspera's stem conspicuously zigzag (except depauperate or juveniles), per Weakley's Flora (2018).
)
JK Marlow jkm190618_9294
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
A white-flowered individual ...
)
Keith Bradley kab_t_subaspera_9988
June Burke County NC
Pisgah National Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm0407f_15b
July Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Flowers distinctly pedicillate; petals distinct, broadly ovate, not clawed, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm090707_063
July Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
Leaves 0.6-4.5cm wide (upper leaf blades wider than opened flattened sheath), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm090707_064
July Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
Our Spiderworts have cymes of flowers growing out of leaflike bracts, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm090707_065
July Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
The 6 fertile stamens have bearded filaments, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Tradescantia subaspera
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tradescantia subaspera var. montana
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22
Tradescantia subaspera
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tradescantia subaspera var. montana
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tradescantia subaspera var. subaspera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-002:
Tradescantia subaspera
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia pilosa
INCLUDING
-
Tradescantia montana
1522
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Dry to mesic woodlands and forests, hammocks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in NC Piedmont) (rare in Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer
Blue
Pedicel 1-1.7cm long
Radially symmetrical
3-merous
3 sepals
3 petals
6 fertile stamens (bearded)
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p271
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p110?
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p419
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p015
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p373
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p343
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p395
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p005
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