Herbs, erect or ascending, rarely rooting at nodes. Stems 5--90 cm; internodes glaucous, glabrous. Leaves spirally arranged, sessile; blade linear-lanceolate, 5--50 ´ 0.2--3 cm (distal leaf blades equal to or narrower than sheaths when sheaths opened, flattened), apex acuminate, glaucous, glabrous. Inflorescences terminal, often axillary; bracts foliaceous. Flowers distinctly pedicillate; pedicels 0.8--3 cm, glandular-puberulent, rarely glabrous or glabrescent; sepals 4--11 mm, glandular-puberulent, usually with apical tuft of eglandular hairs, occasionally with scattered eglandular hairs among glandular, rarely glabrous or glabrescent; petals distinct, bright blue to rose or magenta, broadly ovate, not clawed, 6--16 mm; stamens free; filaments bearded. Capsules 4--7 mm. Seeds 2--4 mm. All of the chromosome counts cited by E. Anderson (1954) for this species are attributable to Tradescantia occidentalis var. occidentalis.

Plant: perennial herb; glabrous, glaucous, the roots fibrous; stems postrate to erect, 5-95 cm, freely branching Leaves: sessile, 6-55 cm long, 0.3-1.5 cm wide, glabrous, the apex acuminate INFLORESCENCE: terminal and often axillary, the bracts foliose Flowers: pedicels 0.8-3 cm long, glandular-puberulent to glabrous; sepals 4-10 mm long, glandular-puberulent to glabrous; petals bright blue to rose or magenta, broadly ovate, 0.5-1.5 cm long Fruit: FRUITS 4-7 mm long, 3-valved, 3-locular; SEEDS 2-4 mm, with hilum oblong to linear Misc: Riparian habitats, rocky hillsides in grasslands, chaparral, oak and pine-oak forest to ponderosa pine on granitic and limestone substrate REFERENCES: Puente, Raul, and Robert B. Faden. 2001. Commelinaceae. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1).