Tradescantia
Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
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Tradescantia (pronounced /ˌtrædɨˈskæntiə/),[1] the Spiderworts, is a genus of an estimated 71 species of perennial plants 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 leaves are long, thin and bladelike to lanceolate, from 3–45 cm long. The flowers are white, pink or purple but most commonly bright blue, with three petals and six yellow anthers. The sap is 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, 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 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, 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 English naturalists John Tradescant the Elder (ca. 1570-1638) and John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1662).[2]
ExpandRead about Tradescantia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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ExpandRead about Tradescantia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Species
About 70, includingwp:
Tradescantia bracteata
Tradescantia brevifolia
Tradescantia buckleyi
Tradescantia cerinthoides
Tradescantia crassifolia
Tradescantia crassula
Tradescantia edwardsiana
Tradescantia ernestiana
Tradescantia fluminensis
Tradescantia gigantea
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
Tradescantia hirsutiflora
Tradescantia humilis
Tradescantia iridescens
Tradescantia leiandra
Tradescantia longipes
Tradescantia navicularis
Tradescantia occidentalis
Tradescantia ohiensis
Tradescantia ozarkana
Tradescantia pallida
Tradescantia paludosa
Tradescantia pedicellata
Tradescantia pinetorum
Tradescantia roseolens
Tradescantia reverchonii
Tradescantia sillamontana
Tradescantia spathacea
Tradescantia subacaulis
Tradescantia subaspera
Tradescantia tepoxtlana
Tradescantia tharpii
Tradescantia virginiana
Tradescantia wrightii
Tradescantia zanonia
Tradescantia zebrina
synonyms = Setcreasea
Zebrina
Gallery
Hoverfly at Tradescantia flower; note the blue stamen hairs
Front view of leaves of Tradescantia pallida cv. "Purple Heart".
References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Tradescantia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Tradescantia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
- ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ↑ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. IV R-Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 2697. ISBN 9780849326783. http://books.google.com/books?id=zIOvJSJs-IkC.