Mystery Purple Flower

by Nicholas
(Portland, ME)

I don't know the soil but it grows in mostly sun. The flower is purple which I could also send a pic of but this pic shows the funny bud parts the best so I'm hoping it will help most with identification. The man who knew them has died so I can't ask him if the leaves are intentionally kind of laying over a metal frame/cone thing that's lying on it's side. I'd like to know if I should remove or adjust the frame thing to provide better or less support. Thanks very much for any info anyone can offer.

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Mystery Purple Flower

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Tradescantia
by: Anonymous

The tradescantia is also known as Widow's Tears.

More on Tradescantia
by: Nori Lane Bishop

When Tradescantia is grown in partial shade, it holds up better, but when grown in full sun, especially in dry soil (or dry seasons), it tends to go semi-dormant, gets a yellowish cast to the stems and leaves, and flops over. The "funny buds" are actually the spent flowers, developing into seed pods, which is not really a good idea, as it seeds itself prolifically, and once started, is hard to weed out. Any little bit of root left behind will eventually develop into a clump of persistant and prolifically seed-producing, but beautiful-flowered Tradescantia (named for John Tradescant; other species of this genus are the commonly-named "Wandering Jew" plants that we grow as house plants).
I have a clump of Tradescantia that keeps sending up a pinkish sport, which I have removed and grown on its own several times through ten years or so, and now have 3 or 4 slightly different pinkish shades, including one that is white with pinkish-blue veining on the flower petals. They are at their loveliest in a bed of all "wanderers" and "self-seeders" in which they actually end up coming up in individual plants rather than clumps, more like the wild spiderwort. The individual plants appear in between the other plants in the bed, filling in spaces, and lending an informal and naturalistic attitude to the overall design of the bed.

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Submitted by: Nori Lane Bishop

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When Tradescantia is grown in partial shade, it holds up better, but when grown in full sun, especially in dry soil (or dry seasons), it tends to go semi-dormant, gets a yellowish cast to the stems and leaves, and flops over. The "funny buds" are actually the spent flowers, developing into seed pods, which is not really a good idea, as it seeds itself prolifically, and once started, is hard to weed out. Any little bit of root left behind will eventually develop into a clump of persistant and prolifically seed-producing, but beautiful-flowered Tradescantia (named for John Tradescant; other species of this genus are the commonly-named "Wandering Jew" plants that we grow as house plants). I have a clump of Tradescantia that keeps sending up a pinkish sport, which I have removed and grown on its own several times through ten years or so, and now have 3 or 4 slightly different pinkish shades, including one that is white with pinkish-blue veining on the flower petals. They are at their loveliest in a bed of all "wanderers" and "self-seeders" in which they actually end up coming up in individual plants rather than clumps, more like the wild spiderwort. The individual plants appear in between the other plants in the bed, filling in spaces, and lending an informal and naturalistic attitude to the overall design of the bed.

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Thanks
by: Nicholas

Thanks everyone for your input!

Spiderwort
by: Moni

Agree with the others, that is what it is. It does come in several colors. There are wild plants that grow along the roadsides as well as special varieties. I have blue and a pinkish purple.
Enjoy

purple flowers
by: Carla

Looks like Spiderwort to me also. I have a lot of it in my garden, it comes up every year and if I don't pull some of it, it will take over the garden. Mine are a blue color, but I've seen it in purple and a pinkish color. I don't have to support mine, it tends to stand up just fine. After they are done blooming I cut mine down so the garden looks neater. It doesn't seem to mind at all.

Spiderwort
by: Beth

I'm pretty sure this is spiderwort (Tradescantia)

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