spiderwort (spider wert)

1. A plant of the genus Tradescantia, especially T. Virginica, the common garden species. It is a native of the central and southern United States, and was early introduced into European gardens. The petals are very delicate and ephemeral; in the wild plant they are blue, in cultivation variable in color, often reddish-violet. Spiderwort (Tradescantia Virgin i ca ) . 1, the inflorescence; 2, the lower part of the stem with the root. 2. By extension, any plant of the order Com melinacea; specifically, Com mel in a cœlest is, a blue-flowered plant from Mexico. The name is also given to Lloydia serotina, mountain-spiderwort; to Anther i cum ( Phalangium ) Liliago, St. Bernard's lily; and to Paradisia ( Czackia ) Lil i a strum, St. Bruno's lily - all Old World plants, the last two ornamental.