Commelina communis

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 40. 1753.

Common names: Asiatic dayflower comméline commune
WeedyIntroducedIllustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22. Treatment on page 193.

Herbs, annual, erect to decumbent. Roots at proximal nodes. Stems diffusely branched. Leaves: blade narrowly lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 5–12 × 1–4 cm, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences: distal cyme usually vestigial, included, sometimes 1-flowered, exserted; spathes solitary, green, paler or whitish basally with contrasting, dark green veins, pedunculate, usually not falcate, 1.5–3(–3.5) × 0.8–1.3(–1.8) cm, margins distinct, scabrous, not ciliate, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous to puberulent; peduncles 0.8–3.5(–5) cm. Flowers bisexual (rarely staminate); proximal petal paler or white, very reduced, distal petals blue to bluish purple; staminodes 3; antherodes yellow sometimes with central maroon spot, cruciform. Capsules 2-locular, 2-valved, 4.5–8 mm. Seeds 4, brown, (2–)2.5–4.2 × 2.2–3 mm, rugose pitted-reticulate.


Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Weedy and waste places, edges of fields, woods, and marshes, often in thick herbaceous vegetation, occasionally in woods

Distribution

V22 303-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Ont., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis., native, Asia.

Discussion

Commelina communis var. ludens (Miquel) C. B. Clarke is distinguished by its darker flowers, antherodes with maroon centers (instead of entirely yellow), distalmost cyme less well developed and usually not producing a flower, and spathes proportionally broader. I have not found it possible to separate this regularly from C. communis var. communis, which also occurs in the flora. A variegated form of C. communis var. ludens, forma aureostriata MacKeever, occurs spontaneously and has been noted from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Commelina communis"
Robert B. Faden +
Linnaeus +
Asiatic dayflower +  and comméline commune +
Ont. +, Que. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, Nebr. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Va. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, native +  and Asia. +
Weedy and waste places, edges of fields, woods, and marshes, often in thick herbaceous vegetation, occasionally in woods +
Flowering summer–fall. +
pennell1937a +  and pennell1938a +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
Commelina communis +
Commelina +
species +