Tradescantia ohiensis, known in English as bluejacket, Ohio spiderwort, or snotweed, and in French as tradescantia de l’Ohio, is a perennial native to much of eastern North America. The flowers are a lovely vivid blue, with three petals; a bit like small trilliums, but the foliage is completely different, almost grass-like. (The unfortunate name "snotweed" refers to the faded blossoms, which turn into a runny blob.)
This is my first year growing Tradescantia, starting with seeds from Wildflower Farm. The seeds are plump and about 2 mm long; I found them fairly easy to handle (especially compared to the other seeds I sowed tonight!).
Here are lists of all the plants mentioned in this blog.
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I just stumbled upon your blog. This is so interesting. Does spiderwort have a food or medicinal use, or is it just ornamental?
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried it myself, but apparently Tradescantia ohiensis leaves are edible raw or fried. The Cherokee used this plant medicinally.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's a photo of a wilting spiderwort flower starting to turn into "snot" from North American Native Plant Society.