1. Flowers subsessile; petals clawed, claws connate at least basally; stamens epipetalous. | → 2 |
1. Flowers distinctly pedicellate; petals neither clawed nor connate; stamens free. | → 6 |
2. Leaves 2-ranked, bases oblique, cuneate; blade usually variegated; sepals connate basally | T. zebrina |
2. Leaves spirally arranged, bases symmetric, rounded to broadly cuneate; blade not variegated; sepals distinct. | → 3 |
3. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate; stamen filaments glabrous | T. leiandra |
3. Leaves lanceolate-elliptic to oblong-elliptic or ovate, apex obtuse to abruptly acute-apiculate; stamen filaments glabrous or bearded. | → 4 |
4. Leaves oblong-elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, mostly 7–15 cm; peduncle (3.5–)4–13 cm; leaves usually purplish violet | T. pallida |
4. Leaves oblong-elliptic to ovate, mostly 3–7 cm; peduncle 1–5(–6) cm; leaves green. | → 5 |
5. Filaments and ovary glabrous; flowering June to October | T. brevifolia |
5. Filaments bearded, ovary densely bearded; flowering February to May | T. buckleyi |
6. Sprawling to decumbent plants rooting at nodes; leaves lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate or ovate-elliptic. | → 7 |
6. Erect or ascending plants, rarely rooting at nodes; leaves mostly linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong. | → 8 |
7. Leaves lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, to 5 2 cm; cyme pairs usually 1–2 per shoot; bracts all or mostly foliaceous, occasionally reduced | T. fluminensis |
7. Leaves lanceolate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, to 10 3.5 cm; cyme pairs 2–4 per shoot; bracts, especially those of axillary inflorescences, usually reduced | T. crassula |
8. Inflorescences all or chiefly axillary. | → 9 |
8. Inflorescences terminal, commonly terminal and axillary. | → 10 |
9. Inflorescences pedunculate in axils well proximal to shoot apex, enclosed in boat-shaped spathes; leaves glabrous; flowers white | T. spathacea |
9. Inflorescences mostly sessile in axils of distal leaves; boat-shaped spathes absent; leaves usually arachnoid-villous; flowers blue to purple | T. crassifolia |
10. Distal leaf blades wider than opened, flattened sheaths. | → 11 |
10. Distal leaf blades equal to or narrower than opened, flattened sheaths. | → 14 |
11. Pedicels 1–1.7 cm; proximal leaves petiolate; stems frequently flexuous; plants flowering mainly May–Sep | T. subaspera |
11. Pedicels (1.5–)2–3.2 cm; proximal leaves narrowed directly into sheath; stems not flexuous; plants flowering mainly Feb–May. | → 12 |
12. Sepals 9–16 mm, ± inflated, eglandular-pilose; flowers usually deep blue, purple, or rose-red | T. ernestiana |
12. Sepals 6–12 mm, not inflated, glandular-pilose or mixed glandular- and eglandular-pubescent; flowers usually white or pale pink to pale lavender. | → 13 |
13. Leaves not glaucous; capsules 8–10 mm | T. edwardsiana |
13. Leaves ± glaucous; capsules 6–8 mm | T. ozarkana |
14. Sepals glabrous or with eglandular hairs only (very rarely a few minute glandular hairs at base). | → 15 |
14. Sepals pubescent with glandular and often eglandular hairs. | → 21 |
15. Sepals glabrous (or with apical tuft of eglandular hairs or a few minute glandular hairs at base). | → 16 |
15. Sepals covered with eglandular hairs. | → 18 |
16. Stems 5–18 cm; pedicels, sepal bases often with minute glandular hairs; petals 10 mm | T. wrightii |
16. Stems 15–115 cm; pedicels glabrous; sepals glabrous or with apical tuft of eglandular hairs; petals usually 0.8–20 mm. | → 17 |
17. Plants distinctly glaucous; leaves 5–45 cm, arcuate, forming acute angle with stem (also see Tradescantia occidentalis var. scopulorum) | T. ohiensis |
17. Plants not at all to slightly glaucous; leaves 4–11 cm, straight, forming nearly right angle with stem | T. paludosa |
18. Bracts saccate at base, blades reduced, densely, minutely velvety. | T. gigantea |
18. Bracts not saccate at base, blades well developed, sparsely to densely pilose. | → 19 |
19. Flowering stems 2–7 cm (elongating to 20 cm in fruit), pilose to villous; sepals purple or rose-colored (rarely pale green), not inflated; rocky prairies | T. tharpii |
19. Flowering stems 5–50 cm, glabrous to pilose or hirsute; sepals various; habitat various but rarely rocky prairies. | → 20 |
20. Roots (1.5–)2–4 mm thick; stems commonly glabrous proximal to inflorescence; sepals usually ± inflated; ne and Appalachian | T. virginiana |
20. Roots 1–1.5(–2) mm thick; stems usually pilose to hirsute throughout; sepals not inflated; se | T. hirsutiflora |
21. Pedicels 0.8–1 cm, glandular-puberulent; sepals 4–6 mm; petals 9–12 mm; hilum much shorter than seed | T. pinetorum |
21. Pedicels (0.8–)1–6 cm, glandular- or eglandular-pubescent; sepals (4–)6–16 mm; petals (6–)10–19 mm; hilum as long as seed. | → 22 |
22. Sepals with mostly glandular pubescence. | → 23 |
22. Sepals with mixture of glandular, eglandular pubescence. | → 25 |
23. Internodes and leaves glabrous | T. occidentalis |
23. Internodes pubescent (rarely glabrous in Tradescantia roseolens) | → 24 |
24. Pedicels 1–2.8 cm; roots all thin and fibrous; South Carolina to Florida and Alabama | T. roseolens |
24. Pedicels 2.5–4.5 cm; at least some roots thick and tuberous; Texas | T. pedicellata |
25. Stems, leaves completely glabrous; plants glaucous; sepal hairs mainly glandular (also see Tradescantia roseolens). | T. occidentalis |
25. Stems, leaves usually sparsely to densely pubescent, if glabrous then sepal hairs mainly eglandular; plants usually not glaucous (somewhat glaucous in T. roseolens); sepal hairs various. | → 26 |
26. Stems densely arachnoid-pubescent; roots thick, brownish-tomentose. | → 27 |
26. Stems variously pubescent but not arachnoid-pubescent; roots various but not brownish-tomentose. | → 28 |
27. Stems erect or ascending, unbranched or sparsely branched, 30–105 cm | T. reverchonii |
27. Stems spreading, diffusely branched, 10–30 cm. | T. subacaulis |
28. Plants diffuse, spreading; stems much branched. | T. humilis |
28. Plants erect or ascending; stems unbranched or sparsely branched. | → 29 |
29. Sepal hairs mainly eglandular, glandular hairs few, inconspicuous | T. hirsutiflora |
29. Sepal hairs mainly glandular or eglandular, glandular hairs numerous, conspicuous. | → 30 |
30. Sepals puberulent, hairs all less than 1 mm; roots relatively thin, 0.5–1(–2) mm thick | T. roseolens |
30. Sepals pilose-puberulent, longer hairs 1.5–6 mm; roots relatively stout, 1–3 mm thick. | → 31 |
31. Plants bright green; stems, leaves usually glabrous | T. bracteata |
31. Plants dull green; stems, leaves usually pubescent (rarely glabrescent). | → 32 |
32. Stems (2–)15–40 cm; pedicels 1.5–3.5 cm; leaves, bracts puberulent, usually sparsely to densely pilose, margins ± densely ciliolate | T. hirsuticaulis |
32. Stems 2–10 cm; pedicels (2–)4–6 cm; leaves, bracts pilose but not puberulent, margins sparsely ciliate | T. longipes |