COMMELINACEAE SPIDERWORT FAMILY Plant: herbs Stem: leafy, sometimes with swollen nodes Root: Leaves: simple, alternate, base forming closed tubular sheath around stem, parallel veined, somewhat fleshy Flowers: mostly perfect; in terminal clusters or solitary; 3 sepals, green; 3 petals usually blue (or white or pink), sometimes clawed, often rounded, or tube-forming, may differ in color; 6 (3) stamens; ovary superior, 3 carpels, 1 style, 1 stigma Fruit: capsule 3 chambered, rarely fleshy Other: mostly tropical to subtropical; Monocotyledons Group Genera: ~50+ genera; locally Commelina (day flower), Murdannia (marsh dewflower), Tradescantia (spiderwort), WARNING family descriptions are only a layman s guide and should not be used as definitive
Flower Morphology in the Genus Commelina Genus Tradescantia Claw the narrowed base portion of some petals Staminodes modified and sterile stamens Spathe flowers often enfolded in these bracts Filament (stalk of stamen anther) is often densely hairy
Flower Morphology in the Examples of common genera Common [Asiatic] Day-Flower Commelina communis L. (Introduced) Wart-Removing Herb [Marsh or Asian Dayflower or Spiderwort] Murdannia keisak (Hassk.) Hand.-Maz. (Introduced) Glaucous [Ohio] Spiderwort [Bluejacket] Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. Virginia Day-Flower Commelina virginica L. Ozark Spiderwort Tradescantia ozarkana E.S. Anderson & Woodson Inchplant [Wandering Jew] Tradescantia zebrina hort. ex Bosse (Introduced)
COMMELINACEAE SPIDERWORT FAMILY Common [Asiatic] Day-Flower; Commelina communis L. (Introduced) Whitemouth Dayflower; Commelina erecta L. Virginia Day-Flower; Commelina virginica L. Wart-Removing Herb [Marsh or Asian Dayflower or Spiderwort]; Murdannia keisak (Hassk.) Hand.-Maz. (Introduced) Ernest's Spiderwort; Tradescantia ernestiana E.S. Anderson & Woodson Hairystem Spiderwort; Tradescantia hirsuticaulis Small Wild Crocus [Dwarf Spiderwort]; Tradescantia longipes E.S. Anderson & Woodson Glaucous [Ohio] Spiderwort [Bluejacket]; Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. Ozark Spiderwort; Tradescantia ozarkana E.S. Anderson & Woodson Zigzag [Wide-Leaved] Spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera Ker-Gawl. var. subaspera Tharp's [Dwarf] Spiderwort; Tradescantia tharpii E.S. Anderson & Woodson Virginia Spiderwort; Tradescantia virginiana L. Inchplant [Wandering Jew]; Tradescantia zebrina hort. ex Bosse (Introduced)
USDA Common [Asiatic] Day-Flower Commelina communis L. (Introduced) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 3-petaled flower (clawed), upper 2 blue, lower smaller and white, spathe only fused at base, staminodes with red-brown spot in center; leaves ovate to lanceolate, long sheathed at base with/without white hairs; stems weak but ascending, branches usually ascending; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2004]
USDA Whitemouth Dayflower Commelina erecta L. Friedrich Wilderness Park, Bexar County, Texas Notes: 3-petaled flower (clawed), upper 2 blue, lower smaller and white, spathe fused except at top, outer surface of spathe sticky hairy; leaves lanceolate, long sheathed at base with some hairs, sheath with rounded auricles; stems weak; late spring to fall [V Max Brown, 2004]
USDA Virginia Day-Flower Commelina virginica L. Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge, White County, Arkansas Notes: 3-petaled flower, all petals blue (clawed), lower petal somewhat smaller, basal to middle part of spathe usually fused; leaves lanceolate, stem leaf sheath not curled or folded, reddish hairs present; stem more or less erect, not creeping; late summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2007]
USDA Wart-Removing Herb [Marsh or Asian Dayflower or Spiderwort] Murdannia keisak (Hassk.) Hand.-Maz. (Introduced) Little Red River, Heber Springs area, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: 3-petaled flower, light blue to pinkish, 3 green sepals, flowers mostly solitary on short pedicel from upper sheaths; leaves lanceolate, sheathed at base without hairs; stems very weak, plant mostly prostrate; late summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2010]
USDA Ernest's Spiderwort Tradescantia ernestiana E.S. Anderson & Woodson Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area, Christian County, Missouri Notes: 3-petaled flower, mostly blue, less often purple to rose, sepals green, somewhat fleshy, cupped or cup-shaped, long hairy but not glandular; leaves green, glabrous, long and lanceolate or sword-like, sharp pointed, tapering at base so that leaf width is greater than length of stem sheath; late spring to fall [V Max Brown, 2012]
Hairystem Spiderwort Tradescantia hirsuticaulis Small Rich Mountain Recreational Area, Polk County, Arkansas USDA Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue to lavender to rose-purple to pink, sepals densely non-glandular long hairy, peduncles very long and densely long hairy with non-glandular hairs; leaves narrow (linear) and taper to a sharp point, width less than width of stem sheath, long hairy (non-glandular); stem densely long hairy with non-glandular hairs; upland forests and glades; spring [V Max Brown, 2012]
Wild Crocus [Dwarf Spiderwort] Tradescantia longipes E.S. Anderson & Woodson Alley Springs, Ozark National Riverways, Shannon County, Missouri USDA Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue to purple to rose-purple to pink, sepals pinkish-purple tinged, peduncles very long and densely long hairy with both glandular and non-glandular hairs; leaves narrow (linear), usually less or about same width as stem sheath, long hairy or not; stem densely long hairy or not; plant low, often less than 10 cm; spring [V Max Brown, 2010]
Glaucous [Ohio] Spiderwort [Bluejacket] Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue to white, sepals glabrous to slightly hairy but reddish peduncles not hairy, USDA sepals sometimes red-tinged on edge; leaves very long and lanceolate or sword-like, leaf width usually less than length of stem sheath; late spring to fall [V Max Brown, 2004]
Ozark Spiderwort Tradescantia ozarkana E.S. Anderson & Woodson Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family) USDA Roaring River State Park, Barry County, Missouri Notes: 3-petaled flower, white to slightly pinkish, sepals and very long pedicels hairy (gland tipped); leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, much wider than leaf sheath on stem; stem straight or slightly zigzag in shape; spring [V Max Brown, 2011]
USDA Zigzag [Wide-Leaved] Spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera Ker-Gawl. var. subaspera Greer Springs, Oregon County, Missouri Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue, sepals and long pedicels hairy; leaves lanceolate to ovatelanceolate, wider than leaf sheath on stem; stem usually with a pronounced zigzag shape; late spring to fall [V Max Brown, 2007]
Tharp's [Dwarf] Spiderwort Tradescantia tharpii E.S. Anderson & Woodson Rocky Barrens Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue to purple to rose-purple to pink; sepals pinkish-purple tinged, peduncles densely long hairy but no glandular USDA hairs; leaves fairly narrow with dense long hair on both sides, leaf width usually less or about length of stem sheath; prairies and glades; spring [V Max Brown, 2010]
USDA Virginia Spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana L. Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 3-petaled flower, blue to purple to rosepurple; sepals and peduncles densely pubescent but no glandular hairs; leaves very long and lanceolate or sword-like, leaf width usually less or about length of stem sheath; late spring to fall [V Max Brown, 2008]
USDA Inchplant [Wandering Jew] Tradescantia zebrina hort. ex Bosse (Introduced) Cedar Key, Levy County, Florida Notes: 3-petaled flower, light blue to rose; leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, wider than leaf sheath on stem, color somewhat variable; late spring to fall (commonly planted because of foliage color) [V Max Brown, 2011]