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Ernests Spiderwort

Tradescantia ernestiana

Found in dry woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
1–2 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Bloom
April to May

Not yet recorded · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 8 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Tradescantia

  • Argyrogramma verrucaGolden Looper
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Mouralia tinctoidesMock Abrostola
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
23BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Tradescantia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Tradescantia

  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Commelinaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankS1
Global rankNot available
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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Sources