SPIDERWORT (Spider Lily. Trinity Flower) 

 Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. 



May - June In the great estate of Cliarlcs I in England there 



Roadsides, woods \\ as a man nanieil Jolui Tradoscant, the elder, who 



was in charge of all the king's gardens. He knew 

 many flowers, but evidently lie never saw a certain delicate blue-silk 

 si)iderwort ilower opening in the dewy light of early morning. But it 

 was Tradescant's name wliith Linnaeus h>ng ago gave to the American 

 spiderworl. 



Today, when May comes, there is spiderwort in ])h>om in hilly woods 

 and open hillslopes and ah)ng roads. A\'hen .lune comes to Illinois road- 

 sides, the moist (litcli just below railroad embankments is a water-blue 

 band of sky color in the morning, but by noon tlir spiilerwort flowers have 

 faded away into a drop of purple ink and the tb>wer stems curl down 

 wl\ile. the seotls fonn. X^ext nnu'iiing more buds liave opened and again 

 the roadside is bonb'red witii a mass of blue. 



Spiderwort is a (lcli(iite Ilower of the -un. ii needs sunshine, yet 

 sunlight it.self is too strong for those thin silk petals and they com- 

 ]detely disintegrate and li(|uil'y by the middle oi the day. sooner than 

 that in extremely hot weather. The tlowers are thre<'-petalcd with si.x 

 long-furred stamens of deep pin pie-blue tojiijcd with bright yellow- 

 orange, puify anthers. 'I'he pistil is slim, thready and three-forked. The 

 leaves sjiring from the joints ami nvv tap(>ring. narrow, and alternate on 

 tlie stem. 



The Virginia spidenvort {Trndescanfia vinjiniana) is similar to 

 the above, but has hairy leaves and larger llowors. Found throughout the 

 "^tate. Tintlrsninfi/i yiihnsprrn has broader, hairy leaves. It is a wood- 

 land })lant which is found in the southern half of the state. 



If 



