Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Commelinales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Tradescantia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-005:
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis FAMILY Commelinaceae
COMMON NAME:
Hairy Spiderwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm230228_1331
February Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230328_2210
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
Bill Sharpton gws1519_a
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
Flowers range in color from purple to rose-red, and occasionally white, per Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000).
)
Harry Davis hld1521_crw_0286
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm080427_043
April Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm080428_062
April Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm080428_064
April Pickens County SC
Densely hairy, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
JK Marlow jkm110416_705
April Etowah County AL
Tradescantia spathes are paired, terminate stem, and resemble foliage leaves, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
JK Marlow jkm110416_734
April Etowah County AL
)
JK Marlow jkm140426_663
April Pickens County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4222
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Our Spiderworts have cymes of flowers growing out of leaflike bracts, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4224
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4227
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4228
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm200428_4435
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
The sepals bear both glandular and non-glandular hairs, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm220409_6607
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220409_6610
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220409_6612
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_hirsuticaulis
April
Petals distinct, ovate, not clawed; stamens free; filaments bearded, per Flora of North America.
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_hirsuticaulis_3
April
)
JK Marlow jkm200508_4780
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Leaves 7-25cm long, 5-15mm wide (narrower than opened flattened sheath), per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm200508_4783
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm231114_6870
November Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 038-03-005:
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis
FAMILY
Commelinaceae
1519
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Dry rocky woodlands, and rock outcrops (especially granitic flatrocks and domes), per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in NC-SC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Blue/Rose
Radially symmetrical
3-merous
3 sepals
3 petals
6 fertile stamens (bearded)
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p271
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p181
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p201
- Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000) p46
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p159
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p372
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p343
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p395
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p453
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p005
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