| Tradescantia virginiana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Open flower with a Toxomerus sp. hoverfly feeding | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Commelinales |
| Family: | Commelinaceae |
| Genus: | Tradescantia |
| Species: | T. virginiana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tradescantia virginiana | |
Tradescantia virginiana, the Virginia spiderwort,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is the type species of Tradescantia, native to the eastern United States. It is commonly found growing wild along roadsides and railway lines. Most garden plants labelled as T. virginiana actually belong to the Andersoniana cultivar group, which are hybrids involving multiple species.[3]
This perennial herbaceous plant has alternate, simple leaves on tubular stems. The flowers are borne in summer, in shades of blue, purple, magenta or white.
In cultivation it likes most moist soils but can adapt to drier garden soils. Plants may be propagated from seed but they are more easily started from cuttings or divisions.
T. virginiana is found in eastern North America, west to Missouri, south to northern South Carolina and Alabama, and north to Ontario, Vermont, and Michigan. Much of the northern range, however, may represent garden escapes rather than indigenous wild populations.[4]
- ^ NatureServe (30 June 2023). "Tradescantia virginiana". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tradescantia virginiana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ Hawke, Richard (2010). "A Comparative Study of Tradescantia Cultivars" (PDF). Plant Evaluation Notes (34): 1. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "9. Tradescantia virginiana Linnaeus". Flora of North America.