Tradescantia occidentalis

Tradescantia occidentalis, the prairie spiderwort[2] or western spiderwort, is a plant in the dayflower family, Commelinaceae. It is common and widespread across the western Great Plains of the United States, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah, and Sonora, but is listed as a threatened species in Canada.[3][4][5]

Western spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield State Park
Tradescantia occidentalis at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield State Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Commelinales
Family: Commelinaceae
Genus: Tradescantia
Species:
T. occidentalis
Binomial name
Tradescantia occidentalis
(Britton) Smyth
Varieties
  • Tradescantia occidentalis var. melanthera
  • Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis
  • Tradescantia occidentalis var. scopulorum[2]

Like in a few other species of Tradescantia, the cells of the stamen hairs of Western spiderwort are normally colored blue, but when exposed to neutron radiation or other forms of ionizing radiation, the cells mutate and change color to pink.[6] Thus the plant can be used as a bioassay for radiation.

  • Seeds
    Seeds

References
  1. Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Tradescantia occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T64325500A67731117. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64325500A67731117.en. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tradescantia occidentalis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  3. "Tradescantia occidentalis". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. "Tradescantia occidentalis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. "Species Profile: Western Spiderwort". Species at Risk Public Registry. Government of Canada. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  6. Dennis, J. A. (April 1976). "Somatic Aberration Induction in Tradescantia Occidentalis by Neutrons, X- and Gamma-radiations". International Journal of Radiation Biology. 29 (4): 323–342. doi:10.1080/09553007614550381. PMID 1084866.
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