Tradescantia fluminensis |
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis |
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small-leaf spiderwort, white-flower wandering jew |
hairystem spiderwort |
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Habit | Herbs, decumbent, rooting at nodes. | Herbs, erect or ascending, rarely rooting at nodes. |
Roots | not brownish-tomentose. |
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Stems | unbranched or sparsely branched, (2–)15–40 cm; internodes densely pilose to glabrescent. |
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Leaves | 2-ranked; blade lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–5 × 1–2 cm (distal leaf blades wider or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), margins ciliolate, apex acute, glabrous. |
spirally arranged, sessile; blade dull green, linear-lanceolate, 10–30 × 0.6–1.6 cm (distal leaf blades equal to or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened) , margins ± densely ciliolate, sometimes also sparsely ciliate, apex acuminate, puberulent and sparsely to densely pilose (rarely glabrescent). |
Inflorescences | terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, sometimes axillary from distalmost leaf axil, 1–2 cyme pairs per stem; bracts mostly foliaceous, occasionally reduced. |
terminal, rarely axillary; bracts foliaceous, usually spreading, puberulent, usually sparsely to densely pilose, margins ± densely ciliolate. |
Flowers | distinctly pedicillate; pedicels 1–1.5 cm, glandular-pilose; sepals 5–7 mm, midrib pilose with eglandular hairs; petals distinct, white, not clawed, 8–9 mm; stamens free; filaments white, densely bearded with white hairs. |
distinctly pedicillate; pedicels 1.5–3.5 cm, densely pubescent with mixture of glandular, eglandular hairs; sepals suffused with rose or purple, 6–13 mm, pilose with mixture of glandular, eglandular hairs, glandular hairs numerous, conspicuous, longer hairs 1.5–6 mm; petals distinct, rose to bright blue, ovate, not clawed, 11–16 mm; stamens free; filaments bearded. |
Capsules | 5–6 mm. |
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Seeds | 2–3 mm; hilum as long as seed. |
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2n | = 12. |
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Tradescantia fluminensis |
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | Flowering spring (Mar–May). |
Habitat | Woods, roadsides, and open areas, sometimes as weed | Rocky woods on hillsides, also sandy woods, thickets, ledges, rock outcrops, stream banks and roadsides |
Distribution |
AL; CA; FL; LA; native; South America (Brazil–Argentina); Africa (South Africa); Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced in North America]
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AL; AR; GA; NC; OK; SC
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Discussion | This species was recorded north to North Carolina (J. K. Small 1933), but I have not seen any supporting records from Georgia or North Carolina. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The separation of specimens nearly without evident stems from Tradescantia longipes is discussed by S. L. Timme and R. B. Faden (1984). The record of T. hirsuticaulis from Texas (C. Sinclair 1967) is not considered credible. The hybrid T. hirsuticaulis × T. virginiana was reported from Alabama (E. Anderson and R. E. Woodson Jr. 1935). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Commelinaceae > Tradescantia | Commelinaceae > Tradescantia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Vellozo: Florae Fluminensis 140; plate vol. 3, 152. (1829) | Small: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 24:233. (1897) |
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