Why is spiderwort a good plant for mesocosms?

Question

You may already have heard about the 53 year-old sealed bottle garden, but I would like to know why spiderwort is a particularly sustainable plant.

What are some other plant species that require little care, and would survive in a closed mesocosm with:

1. A source of direct sunlight

2. Generally damp conditions

3. Soil that contains bacteria that can decompose dead matter and shredded newspaper?

Answer 1

I have had spiderwort for 10+ years. I actually have 2 varieties: the blue flowered type, and magenta flowered type, both appeared "in the wild".

1. Spiderwort is very tough under a variety of conditions. It does fine in cold weather, and hot dry weather.
2. It actually does fine if its roots are very dry. It seems to have thicker roots to store water along with some type of water regulation system.
3. It does not need a super amount of sun but will survive with moderate sun. I haven't tried it but it might do well in a pot in your house in the winter in a south window.