Common Name: Spiderwort

General Information

Tradescantia virginiana is an erect or ascending, herbaceous perennial plant, rarely rooting at the lower nodes. The plant spreads by means of underground stems or stolons and can form large colonies. Stems 5 - 35cm long are produced from the fleshy rootstock[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - Wisconsin to southern Onario and Maine south toOklahoma, south to Oklahoma, northern Georgia and south Carolina

Habitat

Woods, scrub, meadows and roadsides[, ]. Woods, thickets, fields, roadsides and railroad rights-of-way[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.35 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in dappled woodland shade[, ], though it also succeeds in deeper shade[], and in full sun if the soil is reliably moist[]. An easily grown plant[], it thrives in any good rather moist but well-drained soil[, , ]. Prefers moist, acidic soils, and is tolerant of poor soils[]. Succeeds in dry soils[].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[]. Plants often self-sow in British gardens[].
A very variable species, there are a number of named forms selected for their ornamental value[].
When the stems of spiderworts are cut, a viscous stem secretion is released which becomes threadlike and silky upon hardening (like a spider's web), hence the common name[].
The young shoots are particularly prone to slug and snail damage[].
Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].
Plants are self-sterile, at least two genetically distinct plants (and not divisions from the same plant) must be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , , , , ]. The very young shoots and leaves can be chopped and added to salads or cooked as a potherb[].

Flowers - raw. They make an attractive edible garnish[].

Medicinal

The roots are laxative[]. They are also used as a tea in the treatment of kidney and stomach ailments and women's complaints[, ].
A paste, made from the mashed roots, has been used as a poultice to treat cancer[].

A poultice of the leaves is applied to stings, insect bites and cancers[, , ].

The plant is one of the seven ingredients in a tea used to treat 'female ailments' or rupture. It has also been combined with several other ingredients in a traditional medicine for treating kidney troubles[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn[].
Cuttings of young shoots, July in a frame. They root easily and quickly.