WILD FOODIES' HOME PAGE
PLANT PROFILE LIST

     

 

NAME: Spiderwort

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Tradescantia Ohiensis / Commelinaceae

OTHER COMMON NAME(S):  Virginia or Ohio spiderwort

CONDITIONS: sun
 

PARTS:	EDIBLE	TASTE	RAW/COOK	SEASON
All
Shoots		mild	RAW/COOK	Spring
Leaves	young	mild
Stalk/Stem
Buds
Flowers			RAW/COOK	Summer
Fruits
Pods
Seeds
Nuts
Roots
Bark

 

PORTION: small

 

COMMENT:  Spiderwort is easy to eat and a beautiful plant which grows in clusters. Native to the U.S. and was exported to UK in colonial times.// The very young shoots and leaves can be chopped and added to salads or cooked as a potherb. Flowers - raw. They make an attractive edible garnish.(1)

 

CAUTION: The normally blue stamen hairs indicated mutation by turning pink when exposed to radiation. The same effect has since been observed when the dayflower plant is subjected to chemical pollution.(4)

 

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL: Minor amounts of vitamins and minerals.(4) Kidney;  Laxative;  Poultice;  Women's complaints. The roots are laxative. They are also used as a tea in the treatment of kidney and stomach ailments and women's complaints. A poultice of the leaves is applied to stings, insect bites and cancers.(1)

 

LOOK-A-LIKES:  

 

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: 

 

OTHER USES:

 

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Tradescantia+virginiana
2. http://www.eattheweeds.com/spiderwort-pocahontas-and-gamma-rays/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_ohiensis
4. http://www.foragingtexas.com/2011/11/spiderwort.html (good photos)
5. http://www.ediblewildfood.com/spiderwort.aspx (good photos)
6. http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2011/04/itsy-bitsy-spiderwort.html (also signals radiation!)
7. https://www.tyrantfarms.com/tradescantia-virginiana-native-edible-landscape-plant (excellent article!)
8. https://weedsanddeeds.com/spiderwort
9. https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-tradescantia