Flora of North America species comparison

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Commelina benghalensis

Benghal dayflower, dayflower, jio, tropical spiderwort
Habit Herbs, annual.
Roots

thin, rhizomes short, subterranean, bearing cleistogamous flowers produced from base of plant.
Stems

ascending to decumbent or occasionally scrambling.
Leaves

leaf sheaths, not auriculate, often with red hairs at summit;

blade ovate to lanceolate-elliptic, (1–)2–9(–11) × 1–3(–4.5) cm, apex rounded, obtuse or acute, pubescent.
Inflorescences

distal cyme often exserted and 1-flowered, sometimes vestigial;

spathes often clustered, subsessile (peduncles 1–3.5 mm), funnelform, 0.5–1.5(–2) cm, margins connate basally, pubescent.
Flowers

chasmogamous flowers bisexual and staminate, subterranean cleistogamous flowers bisexual;

petals of staminate flowers all blue (rarely lilac), proximal smaller;

lateral stamen filaments not winged;

staminodes 2–3;

antherodes yellow, cruciform;

pollen white;

medial stamen pollen yellow.
Capsules

3-locular, 2-valved, 4–6 mm.
Seeds

5, brown or blackish, seeds of adaxial locule 1.7–2.5 mm, shallowly reticulate, farinose.
2n

= 22.

Commelina benghalensis
Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Citrus plantations, fields, yards, and other cultivated and disturbed sites
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; GA; LA; neotropics; native; paleotropics [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Commelina benghalensis was first recognized and collected in California in 1980. The California plants are approximately hexaploid and represent a separate and much later introduction than the southeastern plants. The species is federally listed as an Obnoxious Weed.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Commelinaceae > Commelina
Sibling taxa
C. caroliniana, C. communis, C. dianthifolia, C. diffusa, C. erecta, C. forskaolii, C. gambiae, C. virginica
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 41. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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