This species of spiderwort is also fairly common in the eastern US, including Massachusetts. I can tell it apart from Tradescantia ohiensis because I acquired virginia spiderwort from a plant center with purple-pink, rather than blue flowers. T. ohiensis also has a blue tint on the stems. However, you can’t rely just on color – both species can have flowers in the whitish-pink-blue-purple range, and to make matters even worse, the Tradescantia species will readily hybridize. I have the two species in close proximity to each other, so in a few years I may no longer be sure what exactly I have in the spiderwort world.
From what I can tell, the larger growing concerns tend to grow Tradescantia virginiana and distribute those to plant stores, while specialist growers, such as Project Native in western Massachussets have T. ohiensis available (at least that was the case in the recent past).
Tradescantia virginiana behaves like any spiderwort – the flowers open in the morning and close by late afternoon – they only last a day. In full sun it can spread agressively, and if spiderwort is not your thing you may find it difficult eradicating an established patch of this plant. I decided to play it safe and kept them in a semi-shaded area bordered by iceberged (meaning they have most of their mass below the surface to discourage rootstock spread) rocks and boulders.
T. virginiana, NOT T. ohiensis. I am sure, this year at least...
Leave a Reply