spiderwort

American  

[spahy-der-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈspaɪ dərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Tradescantia, having blue, purple, or rose-colored flowers.

2. any of several related plants.

---

spiderwort British  

/ ˈspaɪdəˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any of various plants of the American genus Tradescantia, esp T. virginiana, having blue, purplish, or pink flowers and widely grown as house plants: family Commelinaceae See also tradescantia

2. any of various similar or related plants

---

Etymology

Origin of spiderwort

First recorded in 1590–1600; spider + wort ²

Example Sentences

“I told him I wanted flowers every day of the year,” vanEngelsdorp said, but mainly what he insisted on were native plants: spiderwort, aster, bee balm.

From Washington Post

I’d already found the skeleton weed, spiderwort, and toadflax right where she’d said, but the prickly poppy was nowhere to be found.

From Literature

In May, when coyotes howl beneath an unnervingly large moon, taller plants, such as spiderworts and black-eyed Susans, begin to creep over the tinier blooms, stealing their light and water.

From The New Yorker

Wildflowers crowded my wheels: blue flax and sego lily, golden pea and spiderwort.

From New York Times

It will be more like a botanical garden, where the philodendrons, dwarf snake plants, spiderworts, nettles, and Spanish moss are to be admired, and not picnicked upon.

From The Verge