Virginia ecotype
Duration: Perennial
Habit: Upright, spreading, naturalizingSize: 1-3 ft. high/wide
Flowering time: May, Jun, Jul; Sept, Oct
Bloom color: White, Reddish-purple, Blue-purple, Periwinkle
Habitat: Dappled meadows, open woods, forest edgesMoisture: Moist to average
Light: Full to part sun, some shadeSoils: Clay, sandy, loamy
Uses: pollinator gardens, wild meadows, woodland gardens, cottage gardens, dappled dry/average shade gardens
Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia spiderwort)
Virginia spiderwort is a clump forming species that is one of the earliest and longest blooming native plants in our garden, with white, pink-purple, or blue-indigo clusters of 3 petalled flowers. "Spiderwort" refers to the viscous sap which dries into web-like threads when a stem is cut.
Similar to daylilies (which spiderwort is related), the individual blooms are ephemeral and only last one day before dissolving. Virginia spiderwort has a semi-tropical look, sports upright, arching, iris-like foliage 1-3 feet in height, but usually shorter than 3 feet.
Virginia spiderwort prefers very bright dappled light or part sun, or semi-shade of open meadows and woodland settings it often inhabits; in the harshest 6+ hours of sun the leaves can become bleached and stressed. It is tolerant of many different soils, including dense clay and gravely soil, preferring average or dry conditions.
The plants can be easily divided, usually best done every 2-3 years. Some say the plant is an aggressive spreader, but our plants have spread 1 foot or less in two years, are easy to move around, and don't seed too thoroughly, or at all. Small native bees and bumblebees are the primary pollinators of spiderworts, but the flowers are also visited by moths, butterflies, and the occasional hummingbirds.
Virginia spiderwort has a history of use by Native American tribes for consumption and medicinal uses. The plants are mildly toxic to humans and animals, so usually untouched by herbivores, and the sap can cause contact dermititis in some people.
The plants have gained potential in modern times as an indicator of radioactive contamination at sites near nuclear power plants. The delicate filament hairs of the stamen of tradescantia are highly sensitive to radiation exposure, in a few weeks changing color from exposure to radiation.
Suggested companions for this plant include species such as Little bluestem, orange milkweed/butterflyweed, whorled milkweed, hoary mountain mint, Rudbeckia hirta, Liatris squarrosa/pilosa.