Medicinal Monday...Common Spiderwort

A native plant to the Eastern United States, Tradescantia virginiana attracts many pollinators including bumblebees and honeybees, and can be seen today in many woodland gardens. Native Americans found several interesting medicinal uses for this showy violet-colored flowering plant. The beauty of Common Spiderwort, in addition to its medicinal uses, is that for a time, it is rarely out of bloom.

About Tradescantia virginiana

There are 70 species of the genus Tradescantia found in the temperate and tropical areas of the Americas with 17 being native, including Tradescantia virginiana to North America. It is in the Dayflower family. This species can be found in New England including Connecticut, and south to Georgia and west to Missouri. It prefers a dappled shade and moist soil.  It can be found in woodlands,  along streams, or ponds, and in moist prairies, open woods, and meadows. Common Spiderwort is characterized by its crouching spider-like leaf arrangement and web-like flower filaments. The stems, which can be either solitary or clumped rise from roots that survived the winter. Stems are smooth, and the leaves are bright green and elongated ending in a tapered tip. At the apex of the central stem, there are small side stems with small clusters of buds and one violet flower. The flowers have three violet rounded petals, six showy yellow stamens, and spidery violet hairs. They often droop from their small hairy stems which are known as pedicels. The flower rises above a cluster of buds opens in the morning and closes in the sunny afternoon; they may stay open longer if it is cloudy or if they are in the shade. Common Spiderwort blooms from late spring through mid-summer and produces oval brown seeds from September through October. The root system often produces offshoots. 

Medicinal Uses

All Tradescantia species bear clusters of needle-like crystals in their inner tissue that can cause skin irritation. The most common use of this plant by Native American communities was to make an infusion of it to treat stomaches from overeating, a compound was used for kidney trouble, and a compound infusion was taken for female cramps. Many communities also mashed the plant and rubbed it on insect bites to relieve itching. It has been documented that the Cherokee made a poultice of the root and used it to treat cancer. The Cherokee also picked the young leaves and fried or boiled them with other greens.

Did You Know...

The name Tradescantia honors the naturalist John Tradescant, gardener to Charles the First of England.

The species name, Virginiana, indicates that this is where common spiderwort was first collected.

In 2008, the Virginia Native Plant Society named Spiderwort as the Wildflower of the Year.

Deer, rabbits, and turtles nibble the foliage.