Tradescantia occidentalis

Western spiderwort
T. occidentalis at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield State Park
Conservation status
Threatened (COSEWIC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Commelinales
Family:	Commelinaceae
Genus:	Tradescantia
Species:	T. occidentalis
Binomial name
Tradescantia occidentalis (Britton) Smyth
Varieties
Tradescantia occidentalis var. melanthera Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis Tradescantia occidentalis var. scopulorum[1]

Tradescantia occidentalis (Western spiderwort or prairie spiderwort) is a plant in the dayflower family, Commelinaceae. It is common and widespread across the western Great Plains of the United States, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah and Sonora, but is listed as a threatened species in Canada.^[2][3][4]

Like in a few other species of Tradescantia, the cells of the stamen hairs of Western spiderwort are normally colored blue, but when exposed neutron radiation or other forms of ionizing radiation, the cells mutate and change color to pink.^[5] Thus the plant can be used as a bioassay for radiation.

References