Bluejacket (Plants of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Grounds, Chicago, Illinois)

Bluejacket

Tradescantia ohiensis

Summary ⁷

Tradescantia ohiensis, commonly known as bluejacket or Ohio spiderwort, is an herbaceous plant species in the genus Tradescantia native to eastern North America. It is the most common and widely distributed species of Tradescantia in the United States, where it can be found from Massachusetts in the north, west to Minnesota, and south to Texas and Florida. It also has a very small distribution in Canada in extreme southern Ontario near Windsor. Distinguishing features of the...

Comments ⁸

This is probably the most common Spiderwort in Illinois. The flowers are short-lived, but beautiful, particularly when they are viewed close-up. Ohio Spiderwort can be readily distinguished from Virginia Spiderwort by the absence of conspicuous hairs on the flowering stems near the inflorescence, and the greyish or bluish appearance of the thin leaves. It also tends to be taller and more spindly in appearance than other species of Spiderwort, and has smaller bracts subtending the inflorescence. The leaves and stems are reported to be edible – fresh or cooked. Return