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Photographer: Merel R. Black
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Family Commelinaceae
Tradescantia ohiensis Raf.
blue-jacket, common spiderwort, smooth spiderwort
Tradescantia: after John Tradescant, Sr. (c. 1570 - c. 1637), English gardener to King Charles I
ohiensis: of or from Ohio
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 16"-40" tall forb with sticky juice; stems slender, mostly straight, smooth with white powder on the surface, often branching |
| Flower: | blue to pink (occasionally white), 3-parted, 1" wide, petals alike, sepals mostly smooth and often with red edges; inflorescence terminal cluster (cyme) with 2 long, leaf-like bracts below; blooms April-July |
| Fruit: | papery, round capsule |
| Leaf: | linear, flat, firm, smooth, usually less than 1/3" wide; base obviously surrounding the stem |
| Habitat: | full to partial sun; dry, moderate moisture, to wet; roadsides, meadows, prairies; in sandy, loamy soil |
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