''Tradescantia'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of 85 species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

wildflowers in the family

Commelinaceae Commelinaceae is a family of flowering plants. In less formal contexts, the group is referred to as the dayflower family or spiderwort family. It is one of five families in the order Commelinales and by far the largest of these with about 731 kn ...

, native to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

from southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, including the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. Members of the genus are known by many common names, including inchplant, wandering jew, spiderwort, and dayflower. ''Tradescantia'' grow , and are commonly found individually or in clumps in wooded areas and open fields. They were introduced into Europe as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s in the 17th century and are now grown in many parts of the world. Some species have become naturalized in regions of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and on some oceanic islands. The genus's many species are of interest to

cytogenetics Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis an ...

because of evolutionary changes in the structure and number of their

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

s. They have also been used as

bioindicator A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

s for the detection of

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

mutagen In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes nucleic acid, genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can ca ...

s. Some species have become

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

cultivated crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...

s and considered invasive.

Description

''Tradescantia'' are herbaceous perennials and include both climbing and trailing species, reaching in height. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are long, thin and blade-like to lanceolate, from . The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s can be white, pink, purple or blue, with three

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and six yellow

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s (or rarely, four

s and eight

s). The sap is

mucilaginous Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of m ...

and clear. A number of species have flowers that last for only a day, opening in the morning and closing by the evening.

Etymology

The scientific name of the genus chosen by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

honours the English naturalists and explorers

John Tradescant the Elder John Tradescant the Elder (; c. 1570s – 15–16 April 1638), father of John Tradescant the Younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller. On 18 June 1607 he married Elizabeth Day of Meopham in Kent, England. She had bee ...

(c. 1570s – 1638) and

John Tradescant the Younger John Tradescant the Younger (; 4 August 1608 – 22 April 1662), son of John Tradescant the Elder, was a botanist and gardener. The standard author abbreviation Trad. is applied to species he described. Biography Son of John Tradescant the ...

(1608–1662), who introduced many new plants to English gardens. Tradescant the Younger mounted three expeditions to the new colony of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. From there the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

, ''

Tradescantia virginiana ''Tradescantia virginiana'', the Virginia spiderwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae. It is the type species of ''Tradescantia'' native to the eastern United States. It is commonly grown in many gardens and also found ...

'', was brought to England in 1629. Plants of the genus are called by many

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s, varying by region and country. The name "inchplant" is thought to describe the plant's fast growth, or the fact that leaves are an

inch Measuring tape with inches The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to yard or of a foot. Derived from the Roman uncia ("twelfth") ...

apart on the stem. "Spiderwort" refers to the sap which dries into web-like threads when a stem is cut. The name "dayflower", shared with other members of the

family, refers to the flowers which open and close within a single day. The controversial name "wandering Jew" originates from the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

myth of the

Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. Th ...

, condemned to wander the earth for taunting

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

on the way to his

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

.Anderson, George K. ''The Legend of the Wandering Jew.'' Providence: Brown University Press, 1965. xi, 489 p.; In recent years there have been efforts to stop using this and other potentially offensive common names, in favour of alternatives such as "wandering dude". In Spanish, ''Tradescantia'' plants are sometimes referred to as ''flor de Santa Lucía'' (

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ...

's flower), in reference to the Saint's reputation as the patron saint of sight, and the use of the juice of the plant as eye drops to relieve congestion.

Taxonomy

Subdivisions and species

Starr 080607-7174 Tradescantia spathacea

The number of species and infrageneric taxa has changed throughout history. The first major classification proposed by Hunt (1980) included 60 species divided into eight sections, with one section divided into a further four series. Hunt's 1986 revision united several small genera with ''Tradescantia'' as sections, resulting in a total of twelve sections comprising 68 species, and this infrageneric classification was accepted for several decades. A recent study by Pellegrini (2017) proposed a new classification based on recent morphological research, dividing the genus into five subgenera.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

currently recognises 85 species.

Formerly placed here

* ''Tradescantia'' × ''andersoniana'' W.Ludw. & Rohweder The name was published with no description, so is not a valid

botanical name A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the '' International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Intern ...

; the taxon is now treated as a

cultivar group A Group (previously cultivar-groupInternational Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 4th edition (1969), 5th edition (1980) and 6th edition (1995)) is a formal category in the ''International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'' ('' ...

. *''

Callisia navicularis ''Callisia navicularis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the B ...

'' (Ortgies) D.R.Hunt (as ''T. navicularis'' Ortgies) *''

Callisia warszewicziana ''Callisia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Tradescantia, spiderwort family, Commelinaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as roselings. It is native to the Western Hemisphere from the southern United States to Argentina. The gen ...

'' (Kunth & C.D.Bouché) D.R.Hunt (as ''T. warszewicziana'' Kunth & C.D.Bouché) *''

Gibasis geniculata ''Gibasis geniculata'' is a trailing plant in the family Commelinaceae, native to Mexico and tropical America. The cultivated plant commonly known as Tahitian bridal veil is often labelled as ''Gibasis geniculata'', however its true species is ...

'' (Jacq.) Rohweder (as ''T. geniculata'' Jacq.) *''

Gibasis karwinskyana ''Gibasis'' is a genus of flowering plants within the Commelinaceae family, first described in 1837. It is native to the Western Hemisphere from Texas and the West Indies south to Argentina, with most of the species native to Mexico. It is cl ...

'' (Schult. & Schult.f.) Rohweder (as ''T. karwinskyana'' Schult. & Schult.f.) *''

Gibasis pellucida ''Gibasis pellucida'', also known as Tahitian bridal veil, is a trailing plant in the family Commelinaceae that is native to the West Indies, southwest Texas, Argentina and Mexico. In horticulture, the plant is often mislabelled as the related s ...

'' (M.Martens & Galeotti) D.R.Hunt (as ''T. pellucida'' M.Martens & Galeotti) *''

Siderasis fuscata ''Siderasis'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family, first described in 1837. It consists of a single known species, ''Siderasis fuscata'', endemic to the State of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil, though i ...

'' (Lodd. et al.) H.E.Moore (as ''T. fuscata'' Lodd. et al.) *'' Tinantia anomala'' (Torr.) C.B.Clarke (as ''T. anomala'' Torr.) *''

Tripogandra diuretica ''Tripogandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spiderwort family, Commelinaceae. It is native to the Western Hemisphere from central Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina.Davidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater. 1994. Alismata ...

'' (Mart.) Handlos (as ''T. diuretica'' Mart.) * '' Elasis hirsuta'' (Kunth) D.R.Hunt (as ''T. hirsuta'')

Distribution and habitat

The first species described, the Virginia spiderwort, ''T. virginiana'', is native to the

eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, and Canada in southern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Virginia spiderwort was introduced to

in 1629, where it is cultivated as a garden flower. The natural range of the genus as a whole spans nearly the entire length and width of mainland North America, from Canada through Mexico and Central America, and thrives in a great diversity of temperate and tropical habitats. It is frequently found in thinly wooded deciduous forests, plains, prairies, and healthy fields, often alongside other native wildflowers.

Conservation

The western spiderwort ''T. occidentalis'' is listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

in Canada, where the northernmost populations of the species are found at a few sites in southern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

; it is more common further south in the United States to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Cultivation

Spiderworts are popular in Europe and North America as ornamental plants. Temperate species are grown as garden plants while tropical species, such as ''T. zebrina'' and ''T. spathacea'', are used as house plants. Their popularity and easy spreading nature has led to some species being considered serious weeds in certain places (see

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor *Bottom (disambiguation) Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...

). Most cold-hardy garden plants belong to the Andersoniana Group (often referred to with the invalid name ''Tradescantia'' × ''andersoniana''). This is a group of interspecific hybrids developed from ''

'', '' T. ohiensis'', and '' T. subaspera'', which have overlapping ranges within continental North America. These plants are clump-forming herbaceous perennials, with individual cultivars mainly differing in flower colour. The cultivars in this group include 'Blue Stone', 'Isis', 'Innocence', 'Snowcap', 'Osprey', 'Iris Pritchard', 'Pauline', 'Red Cloud' and 'Karminglut' ('Carmine Glow'). 'Caerulea Plena' is a double-flowered variety with dark blue flowers. 'Concord Grape' (Andersoniana Group) has won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. A wide range of tender tropical species are cultivated as houseplants or outdoor annuals, including ''Tradescantia zebrina'', ''T. fluminensis'', ''T. spathacea'', ''T. sillamontana'', and ''T. pallida''. They are typically grown for their foliage, and many have colourful variegated patterns of silver, purple, green, pink, and gold. Popular tropical cultivars include ''T. zebrina'' 'Silver Plus', ''T. zebrina'' 'Burgundy', ''T. fluminensis'' 'Lavender', ''T. fluminensis'' 'Variegata', ''T. mundula'' 'Laekenensis', ''T. pallida'' 'Purple Heart', ''Tradescantia'' 'Nanouk', and ''Tradescantia'' 'Pale Puma'. The species ''Tradescantia zebrina'', and the cultivars ''Tradescantia'' 'Quicksilver' and ''Tradescantia pallida'' 'Purpurea' have received the

Weeds

Due to its ready propagation from stem fragments and its domination of the ground layer in many forest environments, '' T. fluminensis'' has become a major environmental

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

in Australia, New Zealand and the southern United States. Other species considered invasive weeds in certain places include ''T. pallida'', ''T. spathacea'', and ''T. zebrina''.

Toxicity

Some members of the genus ''Tradescantia'' may cause allergic reactions in pets (especially cats and dogs) characterised by red, itchy skin. Notable culprits include ''T. albiflora'' (scurvy weed), ''T. spathacea'' (Moses in the cradle), and ''T. pallida'' (purple heart).

Uses

Native Americans used ''T. virginiana'' to treat a number of conditions, including stomachache. It was also used as a food source. The cells of the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

hairs of some ''Tradescantia'' are colored blue, but when exposed to sources of

ionizing radiation Ionizing radiation (or ionising radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them. Some particles can travel ...

such as

gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

s or pollutants like sulphur dioxide from industries, the cells mutate and change color to pink; they are one of the few tissues known to serve as an effective

bioassay A bioassay is an analytical method to determine the concentration or potency of a substance by its effect on living animals or plants (''in vivo''), or on living cells or tissues(''in vitro''). A bioassay can be either quantal or quantitative, dir ...

for ambient radiation levels.

Gallery

Image:PurpHeart1.jpg, Front view of leaves of ''

Tradescantia pallida ''Tradescantia pallida'' is a species of spiderwort (a genus of New World plants) similar to '' T. fluminensis'' and '' T. zebrina''. The cultivar ''T. pallida'' 'Purpurea' is commonly called purple secretia, purple-heart, or purple queen. It is ...

'' 'Purpurea' Image:PurpHeart2.jpg, Back view of leaves of ''

'' 'Purpurea' Image:Zebrina1.jpg, Front view of leaves of ''

Tradescantia zebrina ''Tradescantia zebrina'', formerly known as ''Zebrina pendula'', is a species of creeping plant in the ''Tradescantia'' genus. Common names include silver inch plant and wandering Jew. The latter name (also sometimes used for the related species ...

'' 'Tricolor' Image:Zebrina2.jpg, Back view of leaves of ''

'' 'Tricolor' Image:Smithsoniangardens15.jpg, A budding ''Tradescantia'' flower Image:0 Tradescantia 'Red grape' - Misère - JPG1.jpg, ''Tradescantia'' 'Red Grape'

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* *
Flora of North America: ''Tradescantia''
(includes species in USA and Canada only)
PlantSystematics: ''Tradescantia''
{{Authority control Commelinales genera