Tradescantia Species, Prairie Spiderwort, Western Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
| Family: | Commelinaceae (ko-mel-ih-NAY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Tradescantia (trad-es-KAN-tee-uh) (Info) |
| Species: | occidentalis (ok-sih-den-TAY-liss) (Info) |
| Synonym: | Tradescantia laramiensis |
| Synonym: | Tradescantia ramifera |
| Synonym: | Tradescantia universitatis |
| Synonym: | Tradescantia vaginata |
Category:
Perennials
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade
Foliage:
Herbaceous
Smooth
Foliage Color:
Height:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Spacing:
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
Where to Grow:
Danger:
Bloom Color:
Dark Blue
Medium Purple
White/Near White
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
By dividing the rootball
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Birmingham, Alabama(2 reports)
Scottsdale, Arizona
Janesville, California
Simi Valley, California
Ventura, California
Norwalk, Connecticut
Brandon, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Miami, Florida
Barrington, Illinois
Highwood, Illinois
Madison, Illinois
Westville, Illinois
Melbourne, Kentucky
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Skowhegan, Maine
Detroit, Michigan
Eastpointe, Michigan
Meridian, Mississippi
Florissant, Missouri
Rogersville, Missouri
Greenfield, New Hampshire
Munsonville, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dunkirk, New York
Himrod, New York
Staten Island, New York
Wilderville, Oregon
Brownstown, Pennsylvania
Mc Keesport, Pennsylvania
Laurens, South Carolina
Sweetwater, Tennessee
Arlington, Texas
Belton, Texas
Broaddus, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Granbury, Texas
Hondo, Texas
Linden, Texas
Livingston, Texas
Moody, Texas
Perrin, Texas
San Antonio, Texas(3 reports)
Dammeron Valley, Utah
Mathews, Virginia
Hartland, Wisconsin
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Menasha, Wisconsin
Muscoda, Wisconsin
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Jul 2, 2017, tierranueva from Coral Terrace, FL wrote: I HAD THIS OVER 20 YEARS AND IT WAS ALREADY IN THE GARDEN WHEN WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE. I LIVE IN MIAMI,FL. IN EXTREMELY SANDY SOIL WITH NO ORGANIC MATERIAL DDD BACK WHEN WE ARRIVED HERE. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED AND IT DOES EXTREMELY GOOD, IT IS NOT INVASIVE AT ALL. IT OES REPRODUCE BUT VERY SLOWLY. I LOVE IT AND SO THE THE BEES AND BUTTERFLIES. I DEFINITELY SUGGEST IT . THUMBS UP IN MY BOOK. |
| Neutral | On Jul 22, 2015, dvcmck from white oak, PA (Zone 6b) wrote: Here in usda zone 6b it flowers beautifully in the first part of the year but becomes a mess after that. If sheared off, however, it will often grow back and bloom a second time. I live in the east (Pgh, Pa) so my plant may be Virginicas. I have it in blue, purple and white. It spread by seed and root, but I never considered it to be invasive. |
| Neutral | On Jul 20, 2015, 3Riley from Richmond, CA wrote: Put in in raised bed with my succulents. It eventually died off. I probably didn't water it enough. I'm amused by the warnings of it being impossible to get rid of! |
| Negative | On Jul 20, 2015, mensamom from Laurens, SC (Zone 7b) wrote: Be sure you LOVE this plant before you put it in your yard because once it's there you will NEVER get rid of it. I have been trying to get rid of this noxious weed for over 15 years. You can't pull it as the roots break off, digging is almost as futile, and weed killer does very little but burn a few leaves. It was in a flower bed at my house when we moved in, that was 1999. I'm still fighting it in the flower beds and now it pops up in the lawn across the sidewalk from the flower bed. It has also shown up on the other side of the yard, about a football field length away. |
| Positive | On Aug 6, 2013, jaug from Harbeck-Fruitdale, OR wrote: I've had spiderwort in my flower beds for over 10 years & other than needing to occasionally divide the clumps I've had no problem with it becoming invasive. Our property is shady & they tend to fall over around the sides, leaving a bare space in the middle but I solved that problem by enclosing the whole clump with a piece of old fencing cut to about a foot high. I cut the plants back in the fall & anchor the fencing ring with tent stakes. In the spring the plant grows up through the gaps in the fencing & you can't even see it. Mine blooms deep purple & the lady who gave it to me originally called it "Widow's Tears" because of the way the buds droop around the cluster. |
| Positive | On Jun 17, 2013, scotjute from Moody, TX wrote: The plant grows here in moister areas. It tends to die back by mid-summer as the heat intensifies. |
| Negative | On Mar 21, 2011, DameAnneWorthit from Lake Park, GA wrote: When I lived in northern Michigan, I acquired a plant of Tradescantia occidentalis, coddled it, babied it and was thrilled when my little Spiderwort made it through the winter and bloomed next spring. |
| Neutral | On Mar 25, 2009, LaGardener70601 from Lake Charles, LA (Zone 9b) wrote: This plant is native to most parts of Louisiana. It grows wild in most yards of my town. I've seen purple, blue, pink, and white flowers on these 'weeds'. I've tried to dig up and save the pink flowered ones, but the next year the flowers came back purple. Maybe the color differences are due to environment instead of the plant itself. It makes large roots that survive year round in south LA. It also spreads from seed, which makes it pretty invasive. It blooms profusely in the spring and dies off in the heat of the summer, to return the next spring. |
| Positive | On Jul 26, 2007, KyWoods from Bellevue, KY (Zone 6a) wrote: I thought this was the one I had here, but then I saw the one labeled "Virginiana", so that may be it, since I don't live in the west...I'm confused, as they look alike to me. |
| Neutral | On Aug 26, 2006, aalbrecht from Barrington, IL (Zone 5a) wrote: It spreads when it is happy and the leaves seem to get floppy in mid to late summer. I find that it does very well after cutting it down to the ground in early August. I get all new leaves and some blooms... which looks much nicer than the floppy leaves. I don't recommend it for a more formal styled garden though as it looks kind of messy. |
| Positive | On Apr 2, 2005, SudieGoodman from Broaddus, TX (Zone 8b) wrote: Sudie Goodman, Zone 8b, Broaddus, Southeast TX |
| Negative | On Mar 2, 2005, northgrass from West Chazy, NY (Zone 4b) wrote: I have found that although tradescantias do blooms all season long, the leaves often look messy destroying the beauty of the flowers. I also found them to be highly invasive, once planted in the flower beds, they are almost impossible to remove. It will even more in in a moist location. Very hardy. |
| Positive | On Oct 3, 2004, wordsilk7 from Norwalk, CT (Zone 7a) wrote: Planted more than twenty years ago, these plants come back year after year. Some of ours grow in full shade and are just as lovely as the ones growing in partial shade. |
