This is spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana). When we moved into our house the property had been empty for almost a year, the only upkeep done on it was the real estate company sending someone out to keep the lawn mowed. Our neighbor had a lovely bulb garden in her back yard which spread to our yard, so in our first summer I dug up every stray flower I found traveling from her yard because I wanted a garden and at the time we had little extra money and no car.
The spiderwort was one of the plants I replanted that season. It’s massive this year, the irises next to it and the spiderwort are both almost the size of the evergreen bush to one side. so I was looking into how to divide it, and what uses, if any it has herbally speaking. And here’s what I’ve learned:
Since 1974, experimentation has demonstrated that the spiderwort plant is an accurate instrument for measuring cumulative doses of radiation. Studies conducted at Kyoto University in Japan and at Brookhaven National Laboratory found that the normally blue stamen hairs indicated mutation by turning pink when exposed to radiation. The same effect has since been observed when the spiderwort plant is subjected to chemical pollution. (From here.)
How neat is that! Spiderwort is also a favorite of scientists because it has large chromosomes, which makes cellular study easy, and has a long blooming season which makes genetic study easier.
So, in case of a zombie uprising check the spiderwort to determine if it’s radiation or chemical.
Its a beautiful bloom. I kind of reminds me of irises.
I had no clue what it was when I planted it. In fact, I found out by asking someone while we were trick or treating last year. Great way to meet other gardeners in the neighborhood. Complimenting their flowers is like complimenting their kids.