Long Bract Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata)

Left:Tradescantia bracteata by Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Right: Tradescantia bracteata in ASMSA Pollinator Garden

Plant Preference/Growing Conditions: 

Prefers moist, well-drained and acidic soil. Tolerates drought and dry soil. Prefers full sun.


Growth Habit/Description: 

Herbaceous perennial, grows in clumps. Typically 1.5' tall and spreads. Flowers have a diameter of .75"-1.5". Ornate 3-petaled, pink to violet flowers bloom from terminal cluster. Yellow stamen only open up a few at a time for one day. Dark green leaves are 1' long and .75" wide and fold along the mid-vein. Clumps may become overcrowded and need to be divided. Foliage declines after flowering and may need to be cut back to the ground. The shortest of the Midwestern Spiderworts.


Bloom Season:

Purple to blue flowers bloom in succession from late spring to mid-summer.


Fall and/or Winter Interest? 

No. 

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. Taxonomic Data Center. (http://www.bonap.net/tdc). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]

http://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Tradescantia

Distribution


Habitat: 

Native to the Midwest and north-central United States. Found in sunny prairies, meadows, fields, and roadsides.

Native to Arkansas? Yes

Native to Garland County? Yes

Endemic to Arkansas? No

Ecological Value

Host Plant for Caterpillars?

No.

Other Known Ecological Value?

Yes.   Attracts native and bees and provides groundcover for insects.


Other Interesting Facts

Origin of Name:  Genus named for John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I of England. Species name means "having bracts". The genus is called spiderwort because cut stems secrete a fluid that resembles spider silk.


Related Plant Species:   Belongs to the genus Tradescantia which can hybridize in any combination.

References

BONAP. “BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas.” 2013 Bonap North American Plant Atlas. Taxonmaps, 2014, bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Prunus.

Tradescantia Bracteata - Plant Finder, Missouri Botanical Garden, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279257. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023. 

TWC Staff. “Plant Database.” Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin, 2023, www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TRBR.