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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SPIDERWORT FAMILY | |||||||||
The spiderworts are found mainly in tropical regions of the world, but there are a few representatives in temperate regions like Saskatchewan. These plants are perennial or annual herbs. The leaves are both basal and on the stem. The stem leaves are alternate and have closed leaf sheaths. The leaves and sometimes stems are often succulent and you may see a mucilage if they are broken. The flowers are in clusters where the terminal flower matures first and are usually accompanied by bracts. The spiderworts have three petals and three sepals. The petals, which are usually brightly coloured, are deliquescent, meaning that they “leak” colour if touched. The fruit is a capsule that can release one to several seeds. The reproductive biology of the spiderworts is interesting because the flowers lack nectar. The showy flowers must act as guides for insects. However, flowers are only open for a few hours at a time, so insects must pollinate these flowers within a short time. Many species in this family are used in gardens as ornamentals because of their showy flowers. |
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| WESTERN SPIDERWORT | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Tradescantia occidentalis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Western spiderwort grows 30 – 70 cm tall from fleshy, fibrous roots. The stem is branched and green. The stem and the leaves contain mucilage, and if broken, this mucilage hardens to form a cob-web like structure, giving rise to the name western spiderwort. The leaves are long and grass-like, with parallel venation. The flowers are in clusters at the ends of the stem or main branches. Only one or two flowers per inflorescence are open at a time. The flowers have three green sepals and three purple to pink petals. The stamens have purple or pink, hairy filaments and bright yellow anthers. The fruit is a 3-valved capsule that releases 3 to 6 seeds. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Western spiderwort grows in semi-active to stabilized sand dunes and sandy prairies. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant grows in south-central Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Western spiderwort is endangered because it is regionally restricted and the Saskatchewan populations are isolated from the populations in Manitoba, Alberta, and the United States. Also, this plant thrives in a delicate sand dune environment and may be affected by cattle grazing and other human uses of the land. This species is locally numerous within each population, but threats like leafy spurge invasion may cause population decline in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WESTERN SPIDERWORT | |||||||||
| * Are the three petals dark purple to pink? * Do the stem and leaves have mucilage? * Do the stamens have hairy filaments and bright yellow anthers? * Did you find in south-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have western spiderwort! | |||||||||
