Taxon: Tradescantia virginiana L.

Summary

Genus:

Tradescantia

Family:

Commelinaceae

Subfamily:

Commelinoideae

Tribe:

Tradescantieae

Subtribe:

Tradescantiinae

Nomen number:

36812

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 1:288. 1753

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358307

Comment:

horticultural hybrids involving this species are included here

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

01/26/2009 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

7 (2 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Tradescantia virginiana L. var. virginiana

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Tradescantia ×andersoniana W. Ludw. & Rohweder, nom. inval.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Angelo, R. & D. E. Boufford. Atlas of the flora of New England (on-line resource).
Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963-1968. Flora of Java.
Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
Chester, E. W. et al. 1993-1997. Atlas of Tennessee vascular plants.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, ed. 2
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
Townsend, J., ed. South Carolina plant atlas (on-line resource).
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Wetter, M. A. et al. WISFLORA: Wisconsin vascular plant species (on-line resource).
Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania.
Wofford, B. E. Database of Tennessee vascular plants (on-line resource).
Yatskievych, G. 1999-. Steyermark's Flora of Missouri, revised edition

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	spiderwort		1	Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
English	Virginia spiderwort		1	Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, ed. 2
English	white spiderwort	as Tradescantia ×andersoniana	1	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
English	widow's-tears		1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
French	éphémère de Virginie		2	Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
German	Garten-Dreimasterblume	as Tradescantia ×andersoniana	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
German	virginische Dreimasterblume		2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Swedish	ängstremastarblomma		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Eastern Canada	Canada	Ontario	s.	Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Illinois		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Iowa		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Missouri		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Wisconsin		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Connecticut		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Indiana		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maine		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Massachusetts		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Michigan		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Hampshire		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Jersey		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New York		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Ohio		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Pennsylvania		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Rhode Island		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Vermont		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	West Virginia		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas	n.w.?	Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Delaware		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	District of Columbia		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Kentucky		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maryland		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi	n.?	Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Tennessee		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Virginia		Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized					possibly natzd. from cult. in n. part of range

Native
Northern America

EASTERN CANADA: Canada [Ontario (s.)]
NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Arkansas (n.w.?), Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi (n.?), North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, District of Columbia]

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized (possibly natzd. from cult. in n. part of range)

Reference(s)

Faden, R. B. 2000. Commelinaceae. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America. 22:174, 179-180.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=36812. Accessed 15 May 2026.