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Tradescantia ohiensis

Tradescantia ohiensis Raf.

Ohio Spiderwort, Bluejacket

Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family)

Synonym(s): Tradescantia canaliculata, Tradescantia foliosa, Tradescantia incarnata, Tradescantia ohiensis var. foliosa, Tradescantia reflexa

USDA Symbol: troh

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

The branched, erect stems of Bluejacket or Ohio Spiderwort are tinged purple and bear grass-like leaves from up to eight nodes. The total height is from 2-3 ft. Showy clusters of blue to rose, three-petaled flowers top the stems. Flowers tend to open in morning.

When touched in the heat of the day, the flowers shrivel to a fluid jelly.

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

42 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.
Flower: Flower 1 inch.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink , Blue
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Deep blue to rose, rarely white.

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV
Canada: ON
Native Distribution: MA to s.e. MN, s. to FL & e. TX
Native Habitat: Moist meadows; prairies; thickets

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Various wet to dry soils. Acid-based, Calcareous, Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam Clay
Conditions Comments: Tradescantia species will hybridize in just about any combination.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Perennial garden, Wildflower meadow
Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Special Value to Bumble Bees

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

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division
Description: Plant unstratified seed in fall or stratified seed in spring. A faster method of propagation is divide a large clump into several pieces. Divide in early fall or very early spring. Stem cuttings may be taken any time during the growing season. Remove
Seed Collection: The small light-green capsule, surrounded by three green bracts is mature 2-3 weeks after flowering. A few days prior to splitting, the capsule becomes dry and papery. Collecting seeds is easiest by tying a small bag around the unsplit capsule. Store in sealed, refrigerated containers.
Seed Treatment: Cold-moist stratify for 120 days.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

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National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC		FACW		FAC	FACU		FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

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

Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College, The - Valhalla, NY
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
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

Research Literature

Reslit 792 - Suitability of six species of Commelinaceae as larval hosts of Mouralia tinctoides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Plusiinae) (1993) P. J. Landolt
Reslit 1036 - Self-incompatibility and the pollen-stigma interaction inTradescantia ohiensis Rafin (1984) S. J. Owens and S. McGrath
Reslit 1062 - Groundlayer vegetation gradients across oak woodland canopy gaps (2006) N. B. Pavlovic, R. Grundel and W. Sluis

This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-03-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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