Species · genus Tradescantia · Commelinaceae

Spiderwort

Tradescantia virginiana L.

Also known as: Virginia Spiderwort · White Spiderwort · Widow's-tears · Spider Lily

Growth habit

perennial

Native range

Alabama, Connecticut, Cuba, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Reference · T. virginiana

Cultivars of T. virginiana

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under T. virginiana yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Tradescantia virginiana is a herbaceous perennial native to woodland edges and clearings across eastern North America, where it grows in dappled light and moderately moist soil. Give it bright indirect light and let the top inch of mix dry before watering again; it tolerates a dry spell better than soggy roots. As a temperate native it accepts ordinary household humidity and does not need misting.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

4–26 °C

Soil mix

Humus-rich, well-draining garden or potting mix

Propagation

Division in spring or stem cuttings

Fertilizing

Light feed monthly through the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Blue-violet flowers, each bloom lasting a single day

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Inch plant / wandering dude — irritant sap; dermatitis, mild GI upset. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Spiderwort yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.