TRADESCANTIA BREVICAULIS Raf.
Tiaa'escanti a brevicaulis Raf. Atl. Journ. 150. 1832. Tradescantia pumila Raf. New Fl. Part 2, 86. 1836. Tradescantia Firginica var. vd/osa S. Wats.; Wats. & Coult. in A. Gray, Man. Ed. 6, 539. 1890.
Perennial by a cluster of slender roots, low, stoutish, more or less villous, bright green. Stems solitary or usually clustered, erect, almost wanting or r—io cm. tall, simple ; leaves linear or narrowly linear, 1.5-3 dm. long, flattish, acute or sometimes rather obtuse, sheaths 1-2.5 cm. long, mostly imbricated ; involucre of 2
nearly equal leal-like bracts which are longer and broader than the leaves ; pedicels stoutish, 3.5-5.5 cm. long, villous ; flowers mostly purplish-blue, 5-15 in an umbel-like cyme, about 2 cm. broad ; sepals ovate or oblong-ovate, mm. long, obtuse ; petals suborbicular, obtuse, delicately nerved; mature capsule not seen.
Hillsides and woods, Illinois to Missouri and Kentucky. May to June.