Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Commelinales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Tradescantia virginiana
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.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia virginiana
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Tradescantia virginiana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-003:
Tradescantia virginiana FAMILY Commelinaceae
(?) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia brevicaulis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia virginiana
COMMON NAME:
Virginia Spiderwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trbr8_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trvi_001_lvd
)
Jim Fanning jcf_spiderwort2
April Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
)
Keith Bradley kab_t_virginiana_0271
April Richland County SC
Riverwalk Park
A 4-petaled reminder to never use the word "always" when discussing plants.
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Keith Bradley kab_t_virginiana_0288
April Richland County SC
Riverwalk Park
)
Keith Bradley kab_t_virginiana_3528
April Richland County SC
Randolph Cemetery
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_virginiana_1
April
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JK Marlow jkm220503_7410
May Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Bracts below the inflorescence often wider and longer than the leaves, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
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JK Marlow jkm220503_7410b
May Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Sepals densely pubescent (but not glandular-pubescent), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm220503_7411
May Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Petals distinct, broadly ovate, not clawed; stamens free, filaments bearded, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm220503_7412
May Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Leaves 15-35cm long, 5-12mm wide (narrower than opened flattened sheath), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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Kevin Adams kcatradescantiavirgin_28
May Rockingham County NC
Flowers in a terminal cluster, blue, purple, or occasionally white, per Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: Northeastern US (Clemants & Gracie, 2006).
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Patrick D. McMillan pdmtvirginiana_rootsrec2
May Richland County SC
Sandhills Recreation Center
Roots (1.5-)2-4mm thick, fleshy, per Flora of North America.
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmtvirginiana_srec2
May Richland County SC
Sandhills Recreation Center
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmtvirginiana_srec3
May Richland County SC
Sandhills Recreation Center
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmtvirginiana_srec4
May Richland County SC
Sandhills Recreation Center
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Tradescantia virginiana
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia virginiana
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Tradescantia virginiana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-003:
Tradescantia virginiana
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
(?)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia brevicaulis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tradescantia virginiana
1523
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Nutrient-rich forests and woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare in GA-NC-SC
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:
Spring/Summer
Blue
also pink or white
Radially symmetrical
3-merous
3 sepals
3 petals
6 fertile stamens (bearded)
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p270
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p137
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p180
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p120
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p419
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p159
- Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: Northeastern US (Clemants & Gracie, 2006) p002
- 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
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