PLATE LVI. 



1. TRADESCANTIA VIRGINICA. 



VIRGINIAN SPIDERWORT. 



THIS genus furnishes a plant of the hardy herbaceous perennial 

 kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Hcxandria Mojwgynia, and 

 ranks in the natural order of EnsatcK. 



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

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

 orbicular petals, flat, spreading very much, large, equal: the stamina 

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

 jointed hairs: anthers kidney-form : the pistillum is an ovate germ, 

 obtusely three-cornered: style filiform, 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. Virginica, Common Virginian Spiderwort, or 

 I'lower of a Day. 



There are other species that may be cultivated. 



It has roots composed of many fleshy fibres: the stalks smooth, 

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

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

 purple petals: they appear early in June; and though 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. 



There arc varieties with deep blue flowers, with white flowers, 

 with red flowers, and with purple flowers. 



