Scary Spiderwort? Trade up your Tradescantia

Smooth spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Reaction to mention of the native perennial spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.) can be extreme: “Save me from that horrible thug!” Similar to explaining about goldenrod (Solidago sp.), it can be some work to convince people that one aggressive member of the genus shouldn’t put you off from using the good ones.

There are a number of native spiderwort species, most of which seem to be native to Texas, and six are found in Georgia: hairystem spiderwort (Tradescantia hirsuticaulis), hairyflower spiderwort (T. hirsutiflora), smooth spiderwort or bluejacket (T. ohiensis), longleaf spiderwort (T. roseolens), zigzag spiderwort (T. subaspera), and Virginia spiderwort (T. virginiana).

Smooth spiderwort (T. ohiensis) is the one that most people describe as aggressive. Tall, robust, and vividly-blue, you can distinguish it from its relatives by noticing the lack of hairs on the bloom buds (hence the common name ‘smooth’). There might be one or two hairs, but it should be largely hairless. The Virginia Native Plant Society also says: “The smooth spiderwort can be distinguished by non-hairy pedicels and sepals (except for a tuft of hairs at the apex) and its generally glaucous-waxy leaf surfaces.” The foliage might be partially evergreen in Georgia; mine even turns a bit purple some years in winter. I have it in two places and one of them is being covered up by a more aggressive plant—cutleaf coneflower (Rubeckia laciniata).

Smooth spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Tradescantia ohiensis

Two of the species are actually named for their hairiness: hairystem and hairyflower. You might think that could be confusing, but they actually have very different natural ranges. Hairystem (T. hirsuticaulis) is one of my favorites and has a variety of different flower shades. Its natural range follows the line of granite outcrops in Georgia. It is perfectly at home in the garden with good drainage. Hairyflower spiderwort (T. hirsutiflora) is naturally found in south Georgia so the only place you’d confuse them would be in a garden that has both.

My favorite color Tradescantia hirsuticaulis

3 different colors of T. hirsuticaulis at Nearly Native Nursery

Tradescantia subaspera (with a little
zigzag in the stem)

Longleaf spiderwort (T. roseolens) is another unique to south Georgia species (and rare); we’d be more likely to see it in Florida. North Georgia has its own species in zigzag spiderwort (T. subaspera), with a few appearances in the upper Coastal Plain (and strangely the panhandle of Florida). The crookedness of its stem is a characteristic for it. I have found it easily during the spring while hiking at Amicalola Falls State Park.

Virginia spiderwort (T. virginiana) has a rather small natural range in Georgia (largely NW Georgia) but has been used in gardens quite a bit. Like the similar smooth spiderwort, it has been passed along from gardener to gardener for many years. Tall like the smooth one, it is distinguished by the small hairs found on the bloom buds.

Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)

A white form of Tradescantia virginiana

There are few Tradescantia relatives (Commelinaceae family) that you might come across as well. Callisia graminea, formerly Cuthbertia graminea and Tradescantia rosea var. graminea, is a small plant called grassleaf roseling that is native to south Georgia. Murdannia nudiflora (dewflower) and Murdannia keisak are non-native weedy plants, the latter infesting wetlands, which you might find. A nearby horse field has the tiny Murdannia nudiflora in the shade by the fence and the flower quite resembles a tiny spiderwort bloom. Dayflowers (Commelina sp.)—both native and not—are also similar but a brighter blue in color.

Thank you for all the support over the years. I didn’t realize it until afterwards, but last week was my 500^th blog here. Georgia is a fabulously botanically diverse state and our native flora can beautify and enrich residential and professional gardens throughout the state. Our native plants are what make Georgia be GEORGIA. I hope that the information in this blog helps you to better appreciate and use Georgia’s native plants.