SPIDERWORT

Tradescantia virginiana

Spiderwort Family [Commelinaceae]

month8apr month8april month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8blue
inner
inner8cream
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ3
stem
stem8round

30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
An introduced survivor grown in gardens but escaping into waste places where it is tipped by gardeners.


30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It has erect stems which grow to 60cm, and much shorter (15-35mm) linear leaves emanating at intervals from around the stem much like grass leaves do.


30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The flowers are usually violet-blue but can sometimes be purple, pink or white. They are in bunches on short petioles which emerge from some of the leaf junctions.


30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
There are 3 petals with 3 sepals underneath. Six stamens with cream coloured anthers and a single style capped with discoidal stigma.


30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Densely populated with short(ish) hairs in the centre of the flower.


30th April 2011, Lake Cliff, Sandown Bay, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
In bud the flowers are encapsulated in pale-green striped flower buds. Grains of sand have accumulated on the petals.


10th June 2019, a garden, Borrowash, Derby. Photo: © James Petts
As seen by humans using full colour vision.


10th June 2019, a garden, Borrowash, Derby. Photo: © James Petts
In B&W, as seen by flying insects in search of pollen, such as bees and hoverflies, who see the pollen shining brightly like little beacons against a darkish background.


10th June 2019, a garden, Borrowash, Derby. Photo: © James Petts
The yellow pollen and a mush of fine hairs in the centre which are concolorous with the 3 petals.


Not to be confused with: Spider Brake (Pteris multifida), Early Spider-Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes), Late Spider Orchid (Ophrys fuciflora) [species from other families with similar names]

Could be mistaken for : an Iris such as Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) but that has much larger petals as well as two other sets of three blue-violet petal lookee-likees.

An introduced survivor grown in gardens but escaping into waste places where it is tipped by gardeners. It can be found in the deep south of the UK, such as the Isle of Wight, Guernsey, Jersey and a few scattered locations further north especially around London. The version usually grown in gardens is a hybrid, possibly of Tradescantia virginiana (purportedly this) with another species, but it is not known which other species.


  Tradescantia virginiana  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Commelinaceae  

Distribution
 family8Spiderwort family8Commelinaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Tradescantia
Tradescantia
(Spiderworts)

SPIDERWORT

Tradescantia virginiana

Spiderwort Family [Commelinaceae]