Commelina benghalensis |
Commelina caroliniana |
|
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Benghal dayflower, dayflower, jio, tropical spiderwort |
Carolina dayflower |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual. | Herbs, annual, diffusely spreading. |
Roots | thin, rhizomes short, subterranean, bearing cleistogamous flowers produced from base of plant. |
at nodes. |
Stems | ascending to decumbent or occasionally scrambling. |
decumbent to scandent. |
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. |
blade lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate-oblong, 2.5–10.5 × 0.7–2.4 cm, margins scabrous, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous. |
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. |
distal cyme vestigial, included (rarely 1-flowered and exserted); spathes solitary, bright green, paler basally, without contrasting veins, pedunculate, not at all to slightly falcate, 1.2–3(–3.7) × 0.5–1 cm, margins distinct, usually ciliate, apex acuminate, glabrous or very sparsely pilose; peduncles 0.6–2.3 cm. |
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. |
bisexual; petals all blue, proximal petal white medially, smaller; medial stamen with white connective; staminodes 3; antherodes yellow, often with central maroon spot, cruciform. |
Capsules | 3-locular, 2-valved, 4–6 mm. |
3-locular, 2-valved, (5–)6–8 mm. |
Seeds | 5, brown or blackish, seeds of adaxial locule 1.7–2.5 mm, shallowly reticulate, farinose. |
5, dark brown, 2.4–4.3(–4.6) × (1.6–)2–2.3 mm, smooth to faintly alveolate, mealy. |
2n | = 22. |
= ca. 86. |
Commelina benghalensis |
Commelina caroliniana |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | Flowering summer–fall (rarely winter). |
Habitat | Citrus plantations, fields, yards, and other cultivated and disturbed sites | Fields, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, yards, waste places, especially in moist situations, weed in crops, especially rice, sugar cane and corn, and rarely in forests |
Distribution |
CA; FL; GA; LA; neotropics; native; paleotropics [Introduced in North America]
|
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; SC; TX; native; India [Introduced in North America] |
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. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Commelinaceae > Commelina | Commelinaceae > Commelina |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 41. (1753) | Walter: Flora Caroliniana, secundum. 68. (1788) |
Web links |