Scientific Family
Commelinaceae
Other common names
western spiderwort
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
Tradescantia pinetorum
Height
To 30 inches
Riparian
Yes
Unusual looking mostly erect plant with exotic looking flowers that open in the morning and often wilt by noon on hot days.
Roots thick but not tuber-like; stem stout, glabrous; leaf sheaths glabrous; leaves long and narrow; flowers pale purple in mostly terminal clusters sometimes axillary, clusters opening from the center outward, petals broadly ovate.
Habitat
Riparian habitats, rocky hillsides in grasslands, chaparral, oak and pine-oak forest to ponderosa pine on granitic and limestone substrate.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
3 (rarely 4) equal-sized petals, to 1 inch wide, in clusters of up to 10 flowers at tip of stems.
Flower color
Pink, purple, blue
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Grass-like, arching, 6 to 15 inches long, 3/8 inch wide, clasping the stem at the base; each leaf has long parallel veining and is folded lengthwise forming a V-groove. Stems contain slimy sap.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Bluish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Slightly more than 1/4 inch long.
Fruit type
Capsule