Virginia Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginians, is found throughout the eastern US. The leaves, young shoots, and flowers are edible—raw or cooked. Native Americans ground the leaves into a poultice for insect bites. Our garden has this plant growing wild with blue, pink, and the rarer white blossoms.

Not all spiderworts are edible, there are about 75 species. Some are toxic for cats or dogs. Click on the image for a larger view.