Tradescantia is a genus of 85 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae, native to the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies. Members of the genus are known by many common names, including inchplant, wandering jew, spiderwort, dayflower and trad.
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 known species in 41 genera. Well known genera include Commelina (dayflowers) and Tradescantia (spiderworts). The family is diverse in both the Old World tropics and the New World tropics, with some genera present in both. The variation in morphology, especially that of the flower and inflorescence, is considered to be exceptionally high amongst the angiosperms.
Tradescantia mosaic virus (TZV) is a plant pathogenic virus in the genus Potyvirus and the virus family Potyviridae. Like other members of the Potyvirus genus, TZV is a monopartite strand of positive-sense, single-stranded RNA surrounded by a capsid made for a single viral encoded protein. The virus is a filamentous particle that measures about 754 nanometers in length. This virus is transmitted by two species of aphids, Myzus persicae and Rhapalosiphum padi and by mechanical inoculation.
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 growing wild along roadsides and railway lines.
Zebra plant is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
Tradescantia occidentalis, the prairie spiderwort or western spiderwort, is a plant in the dayflower family, Commelinaceae. It is common and widespread across the western Great Plains of the United States, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah, and Sonora, but is listed as a threatened species in Canada.
Tradescantia ohiensis, commonly known as bluejacket or Ohio spiderwort, is an herbaceous plant species in the genus Tradescantia native to eastern and central North America. It is the most common and widely distributed species of Tradescantia in the United States, where it can be found from Maine in the northeast, west to Minnesota, and south to Texas and Florida. It also has a very small distribution in Canada in extreme southern Ontario near Windsor.
Tradescantia spathacea, the oyster plant, boatlily or Moses-in-the-cradle, is a herb in the Commelinaceae family first described in 1788. It is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico but widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in parts of Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and various oceanic islands.
Commelina mosaic virus (CoMV) is a plant pathogenic virus in the genus Potyvirus and the virus family Potyviridae. Like other members of the Potyvirus genus, CoMV is a monopartite strand of positive-sense, single-stranded RNA surrounded by a capsid made for a single viral encoded protein. The virus is a filamentous particle that measures about 707-808 nm in length. This virus is transmitted by two species of aphids, Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii, and by mechanical inoculation.
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.
Tradescantia ozarkana, the Ozark spiderwort, is a species of Tradescantia. It is part of the Commelinaceae family, native to the States of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in the south-central United States. It flowers from April to May and can be found in rich, rocky areas, including woods and bluff ledges.
Tradescantia humilis, the Texas spiderwort, is a species of Tradescantia native to Texas and southern Oklahoma. It was named after John Tradescant (1608-1662) who served as gardener to Charles I of England. It was described by US botanist Joseph Nelson Rose in 1899.
Tradescantia crassula, common names succulent spiderwort and white-flowered tradescantia, is a species of plants in the Commelinaceae. It is native to southeastern Brazil, Uruguay, and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and has been introduced to Florida. It flowers in May in Florida, and can be found under Oak Trees.
Tradescantia pinetorum, the pinewoods spiderwort, is a species of Tradescantia and part of the family Commelinaceae.
Tradescantia buckleyi, commonly known as Buckley's spiderwort, is a species of flowering plant in the dayflower family, Commelinaceae. It is native to southern Texas in the United States as well as northern Tamaulipas in Mexico. The specific name honours Samuel Botsford Buckley (1809-1884), who collected the type specimen near Corpus Christi, Texas.
Tradescantia longipes, commonly known as the wild crocus, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the dayflower family. It is found only in the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas in the Midwest United States. A spring blooming species, its flowers can be observed from April to May, typically in its preferred habitat of wooded slopes on rocky hillsides. While most other members of the genus in North America have stems reaching at least a few inches above the soil, the flowering shoots of Tradescantia longipes are borne essentially at ground level. This character is shared with some individuals of Tradescantia hirsuticaulis and Tradescantia virginiana, two closely related species, although both typically have obvious stems. Regardless, Tradescantia longipes can be distinguished from the former with its longer pedicels and bracts without fine hairs, and from the latter by the presence of at least some glandular hairs on the sepals. Furthermore, Tradescantia longipes is a tetraploid, meaning it has four sets of chromosomes, while Tradescantia hirsuticaulis is diploid with only two sets. Tradescantia virginiana occurs in both diploid and tetraploid forms, although it is consistently tetraploid where its range overlaps with Trandescantia longipes.
Tradescantia subaspera, the zigzag spiderwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae, native to the eastern United States. Its zigzagging stems and wider leaves distinguish it from Tradescantia virginiana. It is recommended for shady naturalistic garden settings. It has three petals which are violet-blue to purple in color. Flowers bloom May to September.
Tradescantia tharpii, the shortstem spiderwort or spider lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Commelinaceae, native to the central United States. It is small for its genus, reaching only 8–12 in (20–30 cm). It is recommended for shady naturalistic settings.
Tradescantia zanonia, formerly known as Campelia zanonia, is an evergreen perennial subshrub of the dayflower family, closely related to Tradescantia zebrina. It is native to the tropical Americas, ranging from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to Bolivia and southern Brazil. Its common names include cañagria, cascajo flor, cinta, rascadera, and suelda.
