Tradescantia ernestiana
Tradescantia paludosa
Ernest's spiderwort
confederate spiderwort
(1–)1.5–5 mm thick, fleshy.
not flexuous, 5–40 cm;
internodes usually glabrous.
often much branched distally, 15–60 cm;
internodes not at all to slightly glaucous, glabrous.
spirally arranged, sessile;
blade dull green, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, 9–27 × 1–4 cm (distal leaf blades wider than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), base cuneate to rounded, apex acuminate, not glaucous, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.
spirally arranged, sessile, forming nearly right angle with stem, straight;
blade narrowly oblong-elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 4–11(–20) × 0.4–1.2 cm (distal leaf blades equal to or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), base often constricted, apex acuminate, not at all to slightly glaucous, glabrous.
terminal;
bracts foliaceous.
terminal, often axillary;
bracts foliaceous.
distinctly pedicillate;
pedicels 2–3.2 cm, minutely pilose;
sepals somewhat inflated, 9–16 mm, uniformly eglandular-pilose;
petals distinct, deep blue, purple, or rose-red, broadly ovate, not clawed, 1.2–1.5 cm;
stamens free;
filaments bearded.
distinctly pedicillate;
pedicels 0.8–1.5 cm, glabrous;
sepals 0.6–0.8 mm, glabrous or with apical tuft of eglandular hairs;
petals distinct, pale blue, ovate, not clawed, 1.3–1.5 cm;
stamens free;
filaments bearded.
5–7 mm.
2–5 mm.
2–3 mm.
2–3 mm.
= 12.
= 12.
Tradescantia ernestiana
Tradescantia paludosa
Tradescantia ernestiana is sympatric with, and easily confused with, T. virginiana in northern Alabama and perhaps northern Georgia [reported from Georgia by C. Sinclair (1967, p. 87), but no specimens are cited and I have seen none]. At present, the two species can be separated only by the relative width of the blade and sheath of the distal leaves. They are obviously closely related and should be studied in the field in the southern Appalachians where their ranges overlap. The Texas record is taken from C. Sinclair (1967).
The hybrid Tradescantia ernestinana × T. ozarkana is known from Arkansas and Missouri.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Tradescantia paludosa is clearly Anderson and Woodson's weakest species, and D. T. MacRoberts (1979) may be correct in treating it as a variety of Trandescantia ohiensis. In view of its importance as a research tool, however, I prefer to maintain T. paludosa as a species until a more rigorous analysis of its variation is published. Plants of this species do not seem to require a winter dormancy, hence they can be cultivated in greenhouses year-round.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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