Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Share

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:
Tradescantia brevifolia (Trans-pecos spiderwort)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Tradescantia brevifolia

Tradescantia brevifolia (Torr.) Rose

Trans-Pecos Spiderwort

Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family)

Synonym(s): Setcreasea brevifolia, Setcreasea ovata, Tradescantia leiandra var. brevifolia

USDA Symbol: TRBR6

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Sprawling herbaceous, succulent perennial. Stems to 30cm in length. Leaves spirally arranged, clasping, bluish-green.

 

From the Image Gallery

5 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tuberous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate , Whorled
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Oblanceolate
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Leaf Pubescence: Glabrous
Leaf Margin: Entire
Leaf Texture: Leathery
Inflorescence: Terminal
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Stems prostrate, up to about 1 foot long.
Leaf: Bluish-green.
Flower: Petals three.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Bloom Notes: Flowering after rains from spring until fall.

Distribution

USA: TX
Native Distribution: Trans-Pecos Texas and northern Mexico.
Native Habitat: Rocky, grassy, north-facing slopes and mountainsides.

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)

Benefit

Use Medicinal: Flower used medicinally for the treatment of dysentery, enterorrhagia and hemoptysis.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Deer Resistant: No

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Tradescantia brevifolia in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Tradescantia brevifolia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Tradescantia brevifolia

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-03-01
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

Go back