5. Tradescantia ozarkana E.S. Anderson & Woodson (Ozark spiderwort)

Pl. 28 i; Map 111

Stems 15B50 cm long, straight or sometimes slightly zigzag, glabrous or less commonly hairy. Blades of the leaves and bracts 6B28 cm long, linear-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, tapering abruptly at the base, at least the upper leaf blades and bracts conspicuously broader than the sheaths, glabrous, usually somewhat glaucous, light green to grayish green. Flower stalks 20B32 mm long, pubescent with short, gland-tipped hairs. Sepals 8B10 mm long, light green to grayish green, membranous to more or less herbaceous, not inflated, usually densely pubescent with gland-tipped hairs. Petals 12B16 mm long, white to pink, pale reddish pink, or lavender. 2n=12, 24 (2n=24 in Missouri). AprilBMay.

Uncommon in the southwestern portion of the Ozarks (endemic to the Ozarks in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma). Mesic upland forests, particularly on rocky slopes of ravines and sinkholes, and moist ledges of shaded bluffs, on calcareous substrates.

This species has been documented to hybridize infrequently with T. ernestiana and T. ohiensis. Hybrids with the latter species are not uncommon in some portions of Barry County.