COMMELINACE^— SPIDERWORT FAMILY 



SPIDERWORT 



Tradescdniia virginihna. 



Named in honor of John Tradescant, gardener to Charles Ihe 

 First of England. 



A native perennial, transferred to the garden. New York, Virginia, 

 and westward. May-August. 



Stem. — One to three feet tall, erect, leafy, mucilaginous. 



Leaves. — Alternate, parallel-veined, lance-linear, keeled, ten to four- 

 teen inches long, sheathing the stem at base. 



Flowers. — Showy, violet-blue, rarely white; borne in many-flowered, 

 terminal or axillary cymes; subtended by two leaf -like bracts; pedicels 

 slender, villous. 



Sepals. — Three; ovate, acute, or obtuse, villous. 



Petals.— Thrte.; orbicular, alternate with the sepals; blue, some- 

 times white. 



Stamens. — Six, showy; filaments violet, bearded; anthers brilliant 

 orange. 



Ovary. — Oblong, three-celled; style thread-like; stigma capitate. 



Capsule. — Three-celled, several-seeded. 



The Spiderwort is rather an unusual type of flower. The 

 blossoms are at the summit of what looks like an iris stem; usually 

 two or three are open, but more drooping buds are clustered be- 

 tween long, blade-like bracts. The rich blue petals, the brilliant 

 orange anthers set upon a cluster of blue bearded filaments, and 

 the dark-green sepals and leaves, form a pleasing combination 

 of color. The plants are robust, strong-growing, and form dense 

 clumps. 



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