medicinal herbs
Spiderwort
Tradescantia virginiana

• Medicinal herbs
• Natural herbs
• Latin names
• Common names

Herb: Spiderwort

Latin name: Tradescantia virginiana

Synonyms: Tradescantia virginica

Family: Commelinaceae (Spiderwort Family)

Medicinal use of Spiderwort:

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.

Description of the plant:

Habitat of the herb:

Woods, scrub, meadows and roadsides.

Edible parts of Spiderwort:

Leaves - raw or cooked. 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.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Cuttings of young shoots, July in a frame. They root easily and quickly.

Cultivation of Spiderwort:

Woods, scrub, meadows and roadsides.

Known hazards of Tradescantia virginiana:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.