PlantFiles: Brown Spiderwort
Siderasis fuscata

I found one lonely spiderwort in a nursery in Anchorage, Alaska about twenty years ago. It thrived no matter where I put it as long as it was inside the house. Occasionally it would put out a single blue flower or some new growth, but mostly it just sat there alive and doing its own thing. I moved myself and it to Philadelphia PA where it sits happily in the indirect light of an eastern facing bathroom window. It clearly likes the humidity, although it seems to prefer fairly dry feet.. This is an undemanding plant with a strong will to live, but I've found it slow-growing. After twenty years it is still modest in size.

I've had a specimen of this plant for over 15 years, and let me tell you, it's tougher than it looks. It will endure considerable neglect if you fulfill its minimal requirements for light and water, but it responds well to just a little added care. Provide with the brightest shade possible and it does love rain. The foliage is the main attraction for this plant, though the beautiful little blossoms are, in their own way, really sort of spectacular.