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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.

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Tradescantia subaspera (Zigzag spiderwort)
Brundage, Stephanie

Tradescantia subaspera

Tradescantia subaspera Ker Gawl.

Zigzag Spiderwort

Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: TRSU2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Tradescantia subaspera, found from Virginia south to Florida and west to Missouri and Illinois, has blue flowers and a zigzag stem to 3 feet (90 cm) high.

The genus is named after John Tradescant (1608-1662) who served as gardener to Charles I of England. Tradescantia species will hybridize in just about any combination.

 

From the Image Gallery

19 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Leaf Margin: Entire
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Blue
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Blooms rarely white.

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , DC , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MO , MS , NC , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

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

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-03-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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