Virginia Spiderwort

Description:

Violet flowers with 3 large petals. Yellow, hairy stamens in a terminal cluster above long, narrow leaf-like bracts. Leaves are long and folded lengthwise, forming a channel.

Habitat:

Growing in a sunny, open meadow on the edge of a forest and river.

Notes:

The flowers of this plant only open in the morning, after which the petals then wilt and turn into a jelly-like fluid. The hairs on the stamens consist of a chain of thin-walled cells, which are interesting to examine under a microscope because the flowing cytoplasm and nucleus can easily be seen.