Description: Smooth, bluish green, spindly plants to 3' tall, with long pointed, alternate leaves. The leaves are up to 1' long and less than 1" wide. Flowers of prairie spiderwort are found in clusters atop stems that have only a few very narrow leaves. Two leaf-like bracts accompany each flower cluster. The purple flowers are three petalled, and nearly an inch wide. When viewed from above, the whole plant vaguely resembles a large "spider", with the flower cluster forming the "body" and the leaves and bracts forming the "legs."

Prairie spiderwort likes sandy soils and seems to be most abundant where grazing is light to moderate. Young foliage of some spiderworts is occasionally mentioned as being useful for edible greens and potherbs.

Spiderwort flowers last for just a single day before decaying into a sticky, liquified mass.

Spiderwort flowers bloom from May to July.

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