Tradescantia virginiana

Virginia spiderwort
File:Tradescantia virginiana Plummers Island MD with Toxomerus sp2.jpg
Open flower with a Toxomerus sp. hoverfly feeding
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Commelinales
Family:	Commelinaceae
Subfamily:	Commelinoideae
Tribe:	Tradescantieae
Subtribe:	Tradescantiinae
Genus:	Tradescantia
Section:	Tradescantia
Series:	Virginianae
Species:	T. virginiana
Binomial name
Tradescantia virginiana L.

Tradescantia virginiana, the Virginia spiderwort, is the type species of Tradescantia (spiderwort) native to the eastern United States. Spiderwort is commonly grown in gardens and many garden spiderworts seem to be hybrids of T. virginiana and other Tradescantia species.

Description

Tradescantia virginiana is a herbaceous plant with alternate, simple leaves, on tubular stems. The flowers are blue, purple, or white, borne in summer.

Cultivation

Tradescantia virginiana is a perennial forb/herb. 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.

Range

Tradescantia 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.