Contains 7 accepted taxa overall.

Characteristics
Tradescantia L.
SPIDERWORT
Classification
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COMMELINALES
Tradescantia
Citation
TRADESCANTIA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 288. 1753.
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TYPE: Tradescantia virginica Linnaeus
Species
Scientific Name Common Name Herbarium Specimens Status Photos
Tradescantia fluminensis Wandering Jew, Small-leaf Spiderwort
Tradescantia hirsuticaulis Hairy Spiderwort
Tradescantia mundula
Tradescantia ohiensis Smooth Spiderwort
Tradescantia roseolens Sandhill Spiderwort
Tradescantia subaspera Wide-leaved Spiderwort, Zigzag Spiderwort
Tradescantia virginiana Virginia Spiderwort
Identification Key
1.  Stems prostrate to decumbent (rarely erect); sepals pilose, generally all keeled; filaments densely bearded at the base with long moniliform hairs; stigma punctate; embryotega inconspicuous (subg. Austrotradescantia)
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1.  Stems prostrate, decumbent, to erect; sepals rarely keeled, if present keel restricted to the dorsal sepal; filaments glabrous to sparsely bearded at mid-length, rarely at the base or apex with short moniliform hairs; stigma truncate to capitulate or capitate to trilobate; embryotega with a conspicuous apicule
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2.  Stems pilose; leaf blade lower surface often purple; petals white to dark pink
2.  Stems glabrous; leaf blade lower surface green; petals white
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3.  Leaves lanceolate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, 5-10 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide; cyme pairs 2-4 per shoot; bracts, especially those of axillary inflorescences, usually reduced
3.  Leaves lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, to 2.5-5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide; cyme pairs usually 1-2 per shoot; bracts all or mostly foliaceous, occasionally reduced
4.  Roots thin and fibrous, rarely tuberous; leaf blade lower surface often strongly dark purple, upper surface sometimes variegated; inflorescence composed by the main florescence and generally 1–many coflorescences, peduncle bracts commonly present, cincinni bracts spathaceous; stamens subequal, connectives cordate to sagittate to linear-tapered, rarely rhomboid, anther sacs globose, rarely ellipsoid, pollen white; embryotega semilateral (subg. Campelia)
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4.  Roots fleshy to tuberous; leaf blade lower surface green or purple, upper surface not variegated; inflorescence composed only by the main florescence, peduncle bracts never present, cincinni bracts leaf-like or reduced; stamens equal, connectives quadrangular to rectangular, rarely slightly rhomboid to slightly sagittate, anther sacs elliptic to curved, pollen yellow; embryotega dorsal
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5.  Stems short, scarcely apparent; leaf blades 10-35 cm long, 3-5 cm wide
5.  Stems trailing, elongate; leaf blades 3-9 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide
6.  Stems prostrate to decumbent; leaves lanceolate to ovate to rotund, rarely cylindrical, base obtuse to cordate; pedicel apically gibbous; stamens epipetalous, filaments glabrous or sparsely bearded; stigmatic papillae evenly distributed in the stigma (subg. Setcreasea)
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6.  Stems erect; leaves linear to acicular, base truncate to rounded; pedicels apically non-gibbous; stamens free; filaments densely bearded; stigmatic papillae restricted to the margins of the stigma (subg. Tradescantia)
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7.  Stems and leaves glabrous to sparsely pilose, often darky purplish
7.  Stems and leaves densely woolly or floccose, usually green, sometimes purplish
8.  Distal leaf blades wider than opened, flattened sheaths
8.  Distal leaf blades equal to or narrower than opened, flattened sheaths
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9.  Sepals glabrous or with an apical tuft of eglandular hairs
9.  Sepals pilose, sometimes glandular
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10.  Sepal usually uniformly eglandular-pilose, glandular hairs few and inconspicuous
10.  Sepals usually glandular-puberulent, glandular hairs usually numerous and conspicuous, often mixed with eglandular hairs, usually with an apical tuft of eglandular hairs
Genus Synonyms
Synonym Full Citation Basionym Type
No synonyms found.