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|common_name=Spider Lily, Spiderwort
|common_name=Spider Lily, Spiderwort
|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|lifespan=perennial
|life_ref=Wikipedia
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image_width=240
|image_width=240
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}}
'''''Tradescantia''''' ({{pron-en|ˌtrædɨˈskæntiə}}),<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> the '''Spiderworts''', is a genus of an estimated 71 species of [[perennial plant]]s in the family [[Commelinaceae]], native to the [[New World]] from southern [[Canada]] south to northern [[Argentina]]. They are weakly upright to scrambling plants, growing to 30–60 cm tall, and are commonly found individually or in clumps in wooded areas and fields. The [[leaf|leaves]] are long, thin and bladelike to lanceolate, from 3–45 cm long. The [[flower]]s are white, pink or purple but most commonly bright blue, with three [[petal]]s and six yellow [[anther]]s. The sap is [[Mucilage|mucilaginous]] and clear. A number of the species flower in the morning and when the sun shines on the flowers in the afternoon they close up, but the flowers can remain open on cloudy days until evening.
Though sometimes accounted as a [[weed]], spiderwort is cultivated for borders and also used in containers. Where it appears as a volunteer, it is often welcomed and allowed to stay.
The first species described, [[Tradescantia virginiana|Virginia Spiderwort]] ''T. virginiana'', is native to the [[eastern United States]] from [[Maine]] to [[Alabama]], and Canada in southern [[Ontario]]. Virginia Spiderwort was introduced to [[Europe]] in 1629, where it is cultivated as a garden flower.
The [[Tradescantia occidentalis|Western Spiderwort]] ''T. occidentalis'' is listed as an [[endangered species]] in Canada, where the northernmost populations of the species are found at a few sites in southern [[Saskatchewan]], [[Manitoba]] and [[Alberta]]; it is however more common further south in the United States south to [[Texas]] and [[Arizona]].
The three species of [[Wandering Jew (disambiguation)#Plants|Wandering Jew]], one native to eastern [[Mexico]], also belong to the ''Tradescantia'' genus. Other names used for various species include Spider-lily, Cradle-lily, Oyster-plant and Flowering Inch Plant.
The generic name honours the [[Kingdom of England|English]] naturalists [[John Tradescant the Elder]] (ca. 1570-1638) and [[John Tradescant the Younger]] (1608-1662).<ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zIOvJSJs-IkC |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology |volume=IV R-Z |year=2000 |publisher=Taylor & Francis US |isbn=9780849326783 |page=2697}}</ref>
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Zebrina (name refers to the striped leaves). Commelinaceae. One of the species, the wandering Jew, is a very common greenhouse plant, much used for baskets and for covering the ground underneath benches.
Zebrina (name refers to the striped leaves). Commelinaceae. One of the species, the wandering Jew, is a very common greenhouse plant, much used for baskets and for covering the ground underneath benches.