You can find these almost everywhere in late spring and early summer. We have them growing in the field around our garden, volunteering in our herb garden in the front yard, and along the roadside. They're monocots (grass-type plants) that resemble irises or lilies. They're so pretty it's hard to think of them as a weed, and since they don't seem to mind being dug up and replanted, I wonder why more of us don't (intentionally) have them in our gardens. Maybe they're just too common and easy to grow. I understand the British, after transporting across the ocean in the seventeenth century, now coddle them in their cottage gardens.
They're edible. The tender leaves can be thrown into salad or cooked in soup. Their flowers make pretty salad garnishes. And the steamed stems have the taste and texture of asparagus - which we cannot grow here.
Why are they called spiderwort? No one knows for sure but some think it's because the viscous sap from the stem can be strung into spiderweb-like strands. Others think it's the general apperarance of the leggy leaves from above. A friend once told me that the sap can be used to soothe ant bites. The "wort" part of the name is from Old English and implies a medicinal quality for use against spiders. We've lost so much of that old knowledge about the use of things that grow near us. Makes me want to join the grandmothers of the world and try out this cure next time I'm stung in the garden - especially since they're so conveniently located. Could it be they're right where we need them?
I love spiderwort too!
I let my backyard go somewhat wild and it pops up like crazy this time of year. I call it my "weedflower garden" and even blogged about it:
http://cannasandbananas.blogspot.com/2008/04/weedflower-garden.html
Posted by: kim taylor -- the sassy crafter | April 21, 2009 at 03:04 PM