Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis

Stems 5--90 cm. Leaves: blade 5--50 ´ 0.2--3 cm. Flowers: pedicels 0.8--3 cm, glandular-puberulent, rarely nearly glabrous; sepals 4--11 mm, glandular-puberulent, rarely nearly glabrous; petals bright blue to rose or magenta, 1.2--1.6 cm. 2n = 12, 24.

Flowering spring--summer (Mar--Jul). Prairies, plains, fields, thickets, woods, roadsides, and along railroads, mostly in sandy or rocky soils; Man.; Ariz., Ark., Colo., Iowa, Kans., La., Minn., Mont., Nebr., N.Mex., N.Dak., Okla., S.Dak., Tex., Utah, Wis., Wyo.

LEAVES: blades 5-30(-55) cm long, 0.6-0.9(-1.3) cm wide. FLOWERS: pedicels 0.8-2.7 cm long, glandular puberulent, rarely nearly glabrous; sepals 4-11 mm long, 3.5-4 mm wide, glandular puberulent; petals 10-12.7 mm long, 10-12 mm wide, bright blue to rose. 2n = 12,24. NOTES: See also parent taxon. Riparian habitats and washes, chaparral to oak-pine and pine forests: Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Navajo, Pinal, Yavapai cos.; 1050-2200 m (3400-7200 ft); May-Sep; Mantitoba, MT, MN s to LA, AZ; n Mex. REFERENCES: Puente, Raul, and Robert B. Faden. 2001. Commelinaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1).