PLATE LVI. 



1. TRADESCANTIA VIRGINICA. 



VIRGINIAN SPIDEKWORT. 



This genus furnishes a planl of ihe liardy herbaceous perennial 



kind. 



It belono;s to the class and order Hcxandiia Manogynia, and 

 ranks in the natural order oi Ematce. 



The characters arc: that the calyx is a three-leaved perianth, 

 leaflets ovate, concave, spreading, permanent: the corolla has three 

 orbicular petals, ilat, spreading very nuich, large, equal: the stamina 

 have six filiform filaments, length of ihe calyx, erect, villose, with 

 jointed hairs: anthers kidney-form : the pislillum is an ovale germ, 

 obtusely three-cornered : style filiforni, length of the stamens: stigma 

 three-cornered, tubulous: the pericarpium is an ovate capsule, 

 covered by the calyx, three-celled, three-valved: the seeds few, 

 angular. 



The species is T. J'irgiiiica, Common A' irginian Spiderworl, or 

 Flower of a Day. 



'J'here are other sj)ecics that may he cultivated. 

 ]t has roots composed of many tleshy fibres: the stalks smooth, 

 rising a foot and half high: the leaves long, smooth, keeled, em- 

 braching: the flowers in clusters, eomposed of three large spreading 

 purple petals: they a])pear early in June; and llioiigh each flower 

 continues but one day, yet such is the profusion, that there is a suc- 

 cession of them through the greater part of the summer. It is a 

 native of Virginia and Maryland, flowering in June. 



'J'here are varieties with deep blue flowers, with white flowers, 

 with red flowers, and with purple flowers. 



