ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Tradescantia virginiana
 
 
 CLASS:    MONOCOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    COMMELINALES
 FAMILY:   COMMELINACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Tradescantia virginiana
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    SPIDERWORT
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: TRVI
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     FOREST
       UPLAND FOREST
         MESIC
       THICKETS
     PRAIRIE
       TYPICAL PRAIRIE
         MESIC
       SAND PRAIRIE
         MESIC
     SAVANNA
       TYPICAL SAVANNA
         MESIC
     PRIMARY
       BLUFF
         CLIFF (ROCKY BLUFF)
           SANDSTONE
     CULTURAL
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ALEXANDER       BOND            CHAMPAIGN       CHRISTIAN       CLARK
   CLAY            CLINTON         COLES           COOK            CRAWFORD
   CUMBERLAND      DEWITT          DOUGLAS         EDGAR           EDWARDS
   EFFINGHAM       FAYETTE         FRANKLIN        FULTON          GALLATIN
   GREENE          HAMILTON        HARDIN          HENRY           JACKSON
   JEFFERSON       JOHNSON         KANE            KANKAKEE        LAWRENCE
   LOGAN           MCDONOUGH       MCLEAN          MACON           MACOUPIN
   MADISON         MARION          MASON           MASSAC          MENARD
   MONROE          MONTGOMERY      MOULTRIE        PERRY           PIATT
   POPE            PULASKI         RANDOLPH        RICHLAND        ST. CLAIR
   SALINE          SANGAMON        SCHUYLER        SHELBY          STEPHENSON
   TAZEWELL        UNION           VERMILION       WABASH          WASHINGTON
   WAYNE           WHITE           WILLIAMSON      WINNEBAGO
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Monocot
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Adventitious   (fibrous)
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:   Alternate
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire
    LEAF VENATION:  Parallel
    LEAF SHAPE:     Lanceolate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Dischasium
    FLOWER MEROUS:  3
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Complete   Regular
    FLOWER COLOR:   Red   Blue   Violet
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Capsule
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Species is glabrous.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Native
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Common
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 POPULATION STATUS COMMENTS:
     Species is rare in northern 1/3 of the state.
 
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Perennial
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      4         MONTH END-      6
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Perfect
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Species is distributed in meadows; oak woods.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:    No data entered
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     EDIBLE:  Yes
     LANDSCAPING:  YES
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Leaves and stems sometimes are eaten as cooked vegetable or as a salad;
     cultivated plants have been derived from this plant.
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:   No data entered
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:    No data entered
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Tradescantia virginiana
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015