Why I cannot grow the adaptable spiderwort in my yard mystifies me. It disappeared several years after it was planted. But I love spiderwort, so this time of year, I go to the wild seeking 2- to 3-foot-long corn-like stalks, with 2-inch-wide bluish-purple, three-petal blooms. Tiny yellow stamens inside the blooms create a lovely contrast.
At Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake, I discovered what I think are two different species — the Ohio spiderwort and the Virginia spiderwort. Throughout its range from southern Canada south to Argentina, some 86 species of spiderwort exist, according to the North Carolina Extension Gardener’s website at https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tradescantia.
Ohio spiderwort is much more common in northern Illinois and tends to be taller with more bluish-green leaves compared with the brighter green leaves of Virginia. The pedicels or individual stalks attached to the blooms are hairy or fuzzy on Virginia, and typically smooth on Ohio.
The Ohio spiderwort I saw was deep blue, but what I think was the Virginia spiderwort was deep pink. When the hairs on different spiderwort species are exposed to low radiation, the blooms may turn pink, according to several sources. So I’m guessing the hairless Ohio spiderworts don’t turn pink.
But complicating matters is that my husband found Virginia spiderworts showing their “hairiness” at Rollins Savanna one year, and they were white and blue. Plus, spiderwort species have been hybridized to bloom in different colors.
Gardeners plant hybrids, which could escape into the wild. My sister has deep pink spiderwort, which supposedly is an Ohio hybrid.
Nonetheless, they are all spiderwort, and dot the early summer landscape like fireworks or perhaps colorful spiders.
Spiderwort got its name because, in some way, it resembles a spider. Some say the leaf arrangement looks like a squatting spider, or that the hanging spent flowers look like spider legs. The plant may have gotten its name from the thin, white sap that oozes from the leaf, which resembles spider silk. Another explanation is that the little buds on the plant look like spider legs.
The buds are an intriguing part of the plant. Each bud opens into a bloom that lasts for one day. There are lots of buds, so that means lots more blooms will take turns opening, meaning the plant will be colorful for a good six weeks.
When you get closer to spiderwort, you’ll notice just beneath the blooms are the many round buds, often with some color peeking out, indicating it’s almost ready to open. Blanche Cybele Derby, author of “My Wild Friends: Free Food From Field and Forest,” sautés the buds with garlic and cut-up vegetables for a unique stir fry.
Native Americans used most parts of spiderwort for food and medicine. They used the young leaves in a salad. They made a tea from the flowers, or made a poultice from the silky-like sap to soothe insect bites.
Native Americans also believed spiderwort to be a sign of strength and endurance, possibly because the plant is adaptable to different conditions, though not in my yard. In the Victorian era, people looked upon spiderwort as a symbol of hope.
Bumble bees drink the nectar from spiderwort and inadvertently help pollinate the plants. Hummingbirds drink the nectar, too. Some mammals, including rabbits, munch on the leaves, and perhaps they are the reason my spiderwort disappeared.
You can search for spiderwort in various places, from oak savannas, along rivers, in woodland borders and even in roadside ditches and along railroads. Go in the morning, because in the heat of the sun, the flowers often wilt.
Consider adding spiderwort to your garden palette. Though some think it overtakes a garden, it can easily be kept in check and adds lovely hues from early to midsummer.
I’m thinking about finding a new spot to grow spiderwort in my garden where it will flourish. It will be a symbol of the melding of wild spaces and tended native plant gardens where bees thrive.
Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries. She’s the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to sheryldevorewriter@gmail.com.
